Baska Sinema picks up AI feature 'A Woman Asleep' for 2027 cinema release
Baska Sinema has acquired the Turkish cinema rights to "A Woman Asleep," an 80-minute English-language feature made with artificial intelligence, with a spring 2027 release planned across 20 cities, Variety reported on 25 September 2026.
The deal covers domestic theatrical. That is the right to release a film in cinemas in its home country, in this case Turkey. The timing gives the film more than a year of lead time before it reaches screens.
The film is directed by Vikki Bardot. At 80 minutes, it sits in feature territory rather than short form. That running time is enough for a standard cinema slot. It is produced by Spongeworthy, a Turkish studio that works with AI production tools.
The build was slow. The team assembled the film from 50,000 individual shots over two years, according to Variety. The narration uses an AI voice clone trained on Bardot's own voice. In simple terms, the system learned the sound of her speech and then generated the spoken track.
The project draws on "The Man Who Sleeps," the 1974 French film directed by Bernard Queysanne and Georges Perec. The credit points to inspiration rather than a straight remake. No plot details have been disclosed.
Spongeworthy has been here before. Its AI-generated documentary "Post Truth," directed by Alkan Avcıoğlu, also played in Turkish cinemas through Baska Sinema. That history helps explain the new pairing. Distributor and studio already know each other's workflow.
Bardot also arrives with a track record in the space. She gave a TEDx talk on AI and art in 2023. Her AI short "Dreamt by Another" screened at more than 20 festivals and was acquired by Mubi for Turkey, Variety reported.
What makes this stand out is the destination. Festival play and streaming deals have become a familiar route for AI-made shorts. A full-length AI feature booked for cinemas in 20 cities is a different test. For cinema-goers, it means the next chance to judge the technology on a big screen is already on the calendar. The English-language tag sets it apart on a local slate.
