Artist ILĀ (formerly Anil Sebastian) meditates on what it means to be human in a mesmerizing short film that pairs live-action and archival footage with cinematic animation. Directed by Thiing Studios and set in the near future, Daffodil tells the story of a scientist (played by ILĀ) who has gone rogue as they attempt to bring back the consciousness of a dead child in the form of a sentient AI.

“We think of ourselves as one constant unique identity moving through time, but what if we weren’t?” says ILĀ, whose debut film brings up many existential questions about the nature of consciousness and the future of technology. “Watching the first-ever film I made with a camcorder at the age of ten, I found myself in tears seeing a tiny, forgotten fragment of my life as it was then.”

ILĀ’s childhood home movies offer an emotive adjunct to the otherworldly storytelling about the birth of an AI creature, told with exquisite imaginative detail by animator Thomas Rawle. In addition to storyboarding and starring in the film, ILĀ also created the music—showcasing their day job as an acclaimed vocalist and music producer who has worked with the likes of Alt-J, Imogen Heap, Laura Mvula, Sam Smith and more.

“If you could bring back someone as they were, what would you ask them? Would it even be them?” says ILĀ, who holds a degree in physics and philosophy. “When we think about whether AI might one day be conscious it feels uncomfortable—we want to believe that consciousness exists and that it is something special and otherworldly.

“In Daffodil, if I don’t recognize the dark, playful creature as the person I’ve tried to bring back, will I hit delete thinking I’ve failed? In doing so perhaps the real tragedy is not knowing the beautiful underwater metaverse they have made and losing it.”

Daffodil was created with support from Momentum Funding by PRS Foundation, Arts Council and National Lottery.