Automating Empathy short film wins Best Sound Design at Portugal Indie Film Festival
Automating Empathy, a short film based on the work of the Emotional AI Lab, has won Best Sound Design at the Portugal Indie Film Festival 2025.
The film was written and narrated by Ben Bland, with Professor Andy McStay as academic advisor and co-producer. It takes its title from Andy’s book Automating Empathy (Oxford University Press, 2024) and brings the questions raised by AI that reads and simulates human emotion to a wider audience through film rather than text.
It was made by hand. Filmmakers Conor Flanagan and Maria Figueiredo blended paper art, stop motion, time lapse and live action. The original foley and music, the craft behind the award, are by Steve and Dave Elton.
Congratulations to everyone involved.