Wonder AI Studio's Lower Manhattan Takeover Marks a Pivotal Day for AI Cinema at Tribeca Film Festival

In a cinematic moment that captured the imagination of both the tech and film worlds, Wonder Studios staged a landmark takeover in Lower Manhattan during the Tribeca Film Festival—ushering in what many are calling a bold new era in storytelling. With 213 curated guests from the worlds of AI innovation, film production, creative tech, and media, Wonder's full-day program served as both an intimate think tank and a theatrical showcase. The studio isn’t just participating in the AI wave—it’s helping define its cultural relevance.

Morning to Midday: Thought Leadership at the Wonder Studios Press Salon

Location: Art to Wear, 185 Greenwich Street
Access: Invite Only

Wonder Studios opened the day with a sophisticated, salon-style gathering in the heart of Lower Manhattan—a symbolic choice given the area's proximity to both Wall Street and the World Trade Center, hubs of industry and reinvention. The press salon wasn't your typical film panel. It was a curated summit: part TED Talk, part industry town hall, and part creative manifesto.

Set within the stylized Art to Wear store, the event created a refined but thought-provoking atmosphere. Here, filmmakers, AI experts, and brand leaders sat elbow-to-elbow with journalists and cultural commentators, exchanging insights not just about what’s new—but about what’s next.

Moderated by creative strategist Claire Xue, this panel tackled the core of what’s changing in film and media. Attendees heard from:

  • Justin Hackney (Co-founder & CCO, Wonder Studios): A frontrunner in shaping the aesthetics of AI cinema

  • Matty Shimura (Creator Competitions, ElevenLabs): Bridging the tech of synthetic voice and the talent of emerging storytellers

  • Tony Pu (Global Product Marketing, Kling AI): Bringing a global view on AI’s scalability in visual storytelling

  • Paula Vivas (Head of US Marketing, Freepik): Highlighting how platforms are empowering creators with AI-generated assets

This session offered more than high-level commentary. It dived into how new ecosystems are forming: creator platforms, data ethics frameworks, generative design tools, and business models that prioritize agility over legacy.

Panel: Navigating the AI Film Ecosystem

Why It Matters:

 AI is no longer a futuristic buzzword in Hollywood—it’s already reshaping pre-production, post-production, and even narrative development. This panel made it clear that AI isn’t just automating filmmaking; it's enabling entirely new forms of expression, redefining collaboration, and inviting a broader range of voices into the creative process.

Fireside Chat: The Practitioners of AI-Driven Storytelling

Moderated by Xavier Collins, CEO and Co-Founder of Wonder Studios, the fireside chat brought a more personal, practitioner-level lens to the conversation. The focus? The lived experience of artists working at the intersection of code and creativity.

Featured speakers included:

  • Noah Miller – Educator and filmmaker exploring AI’s role in narrative construction

  • Nick St. Pierre – Midjourney expert helping creatives harness generative visuals

  • Rory Flynn – AI consultant and instructor demystifying the complexities of AI design tools

This wasn’t about theory—it was about process. Speakers walked the audience through how they ideate, generate, revise, and publish using tools like Midjourney, Runway, ElevenLabs, and bespoke AI stacks. It was a masterclass in reimagining the “cinematic workflow.”

Why It Matters:

 As AI tools become more accessible, the creative barrier to entry is dropping. These speakers illustrated how a new generation of artists is using AI to leapfrog traditional gatekeeping in film, paving the way for indie and underrepresented creators to produce work with the visual and narrative impact once reserved for big studios.

Salon Highlights:

Energetic Q&A sessions reflecting deep audience engagement

  • Professional video documentation to amplify the insights across digital channels

  • A dynamic post-panel reception that organically sparked collaborations and content ideas

Evening: Rooftop Revelations and the Future of Visual Storytelling

Location: Private Rooftop Venue, Tribeca
Access: Invite Only

As day turned to dusk, Wonder Studios transitioned the experience from discourse to spectacle with a breathtaking rooftop screening event that felt part celebration, part revelation. Set against sweeping views of Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, the evening offered a visceral reminder: we are watching the future of cinema unfold—in real time, and in high definition.

Preview of the Wonder Originals Anthology

Guests were treated to an exclusive first look at trailers and short films from Wonder Studios’ forthcoming AI-powered anthology series—a curated collection of visually arresting, emotionally resonant films entirely shaped by generative tools and AI collaborators.

This was not a gimmick. It was proof of concept. These films, while experimental in form, showcased the kind of storytelling that resonates at both a human and technological level: stories that are visually sublime, culturally urgent, and emotionally complex.

ElevenLabs’ Surprise Announcement

Adding to the evening’s electricity, ElevenLabs—a key player in AI voice synthesis—made a special announcement and revealed a teaser trailer for an undisclosed project. While details were held tightly, the crowd buzzed with speculation. It was a marketing masterstroke and a symbol of how quickly the AI content space is evolving.

Networking with a View

With champagne and cognac flowing and small bites circulating, the rooftop turned into an ecosystem of opportunity. Investors, journalists, founders, and filmmakers formed circles that felt more like startup pitch sessions than casual conversations.

Why It Matters:

These kinds of gatherings do more than celebrate innovation—they accelerate it. The rooftop event cemented Wonder Studios’ role not just as a creative studio, but as a platform for community building, industry alignment, and narrative experimentation. By bringing the right people into the right space at the right time, they’re pushing forward a collective vision for AI cinema that’s inclusive, ethical, and creatively bold.

The Takeaway: Wonder Studios Isn’t Just Making Films—It’s Making the Future

With its all-day Lower Manhattan takeover, Wonder Studios did more than host an event. It sent a message: AI cinema isn’t a trend—it’s a tectonic shift, and it’s happening faster than many expected.

From deeply thoughtful panels to immersive screenings, the event made one thing clear: the fusion of artificial intelligence and storytelling is not only possible, it's already rewriting the rules of who gets to tell stories, how they're told, and what audiences expect from visual media.

As the Tribeca Film Festival continues to embrace innovation, Wonder Studios stands as a flagship example of what happens when visionary thinking meets transformative technology. And if this day was any indication, the next great cinematic revolution won’t happen in a studio lot—it’ll happen in the cloud.