Manufacturing a Woman to Order
Exploring Nonhuman Agency and Gendered AI in East Asia through Machinima and Virtual Production
Yu
Project Description
"Manufacturing a Woman to Order" is a CGI animated short film centred around the character of a female AI agent, exploring the complex relationship between technological progress and gender politics. The narrative takes place within a fictional smart city called Dream Harbor set in 2050, where traditional urban landscapes merge with a highly digitized surveillance system. While fictional this story reflects the unique temporal dynamics of East Asian society as historical traumas collide with future imaginaries. The story follows ARIA, a non-human female entity, as she engages in a final conversation with her supervisor, the Operating System, on the eve of her decommissioning. Through their dialogue, the film challenges techno-optimism and the accelerationist belief that rapid technological advancement is the ultimate solution to social and political issues.
The film is not a cautionary dystopian tale – it is a story that is all too real.
BIO
Yu is an award-winning filmmaker, CG artist, and lawyer whose work explores hyperreality, virtual humans, and digital culture. Her films have earned international recognition, including being a CICLOPE Finalist, a Telly Award Gold & Silver winner, and nominations at prestigious festivals such as the Berlin Fashion Film Festival, Fashion Film Festival Milano, NYC Video Art & Experimental Film Festival, London Fashion Film Festival, and the Canadian International Fashion Film Festival. She has collaborated on numerous high-profile campaigns. Her clients include Kangol Headwear NYC, Bailey 1922, SEIYA NAKAMURA 2.24 Inc, Groundzero Hong Kong, the Ministry of Culture of Taiwan, Fleuri Daikanyama Tokyo, Fruition Taipei, Plateau Studio, and Netflix Taiwan.