Vincent Maraval, CEO of French production company Goodfellas, has highlighted artificial intelligence's transformative impact on film production, citing how AI reduced shooting time for a major battlefield scene in Michel Hazanavicius's WWI film "The Third Hand" from ten days to just two days. Maraval defended the technology as enabling filmmakers to tell stories they would otherwise lack the resources to create, whilst also acknowledging broader industry shifts towards private equity financing and the growing importance of localized markets in film distribution.

The film, which has already launched sales at TIFF, follows a young French soldier wounded in battle who awakens in a mad scientist's laboratory with a German hand grafted onto his abdomen. Beyond discussing AI's role in reducing production timelines, Maraval outlined how Goodfellas has shifted away from fully funding films through pre-sales, instead mixing pre-sales with private equity investment. He also noted a significant strategic pivot within his own company towards empowering younger team members to identify emerging talent and trends, crediting this approach with helping the company discover projects like the video game adaptation "Exit 8" and collaborations with Spanish filmmakers.