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Synthetic Sincerity (PG)

— ,Cinemas

A university research lab attempts to build authentic AI characters, and they've licensed a documentary filmmaker's back catalogue to teach them what's missing.

The Synthetic Sincerity Lab, based at the University of Southern England, is on a mission to crack the code of human authenticity. Professor SonG has turned to the work of filmmaker Marc Isaacs for answers, licensing his films to study what their AI creations lack. In return, Isaacs gets to document the lab's process. 

What unfolds is a playful and disorienting blend of documentary and fiction, where the boundaries between what's real and what's fabricated keep shifting under your feet. 

Just when you think you've figured out the game, Synthetic Sincerity pulls the rug again. Witty, inventive and genuinely slippery, it's a film that uses humour and clever storytelling to ask what happens to the human face when AI starts learning to fake it.

Tagged with: Cinema Magic Mondays New releases
Film information
  • Release year   2026
  • Country of origin   UK
  • Director   Marc Isaacs
  • Runtime   1hr 12mins

Cinemas

Location
Barbican Cinema 1 is located within the main Barbican building on Level -2. Head to Level G and walk towards the Lakeside Terrace where you’ll find stairs and lifts to take you down to the venue floor.   

Address
Barbican Centre
Silk Street, London
EC2Y 8DS

Public transport
The Barbican is widely accessible by bus, tube, train and by foot or bicycle. Plan your journey and find more route information in ‘Your Visit’ or book your car parking space in advance.