The Autistic Cicada
When anyone can generate an image, direction becomes everything.
An international animated short created by XCAVE Studios from a deeply personal story, and shaped into one coherent cinematic world through human direction, 3D animation, CGI, artificial intelligence and traditional filmmaking craft.
Directed by Rod Hurtado. Co-directed with Steve, the WiVO Human AI Film Director.
157 cinema screens in Brazil · International rollout · Nine languages
Before the technology, there was a reason.
A character created so a child could see herself in a story.
Singer and songwriter Anna Torres created Sibell from her experience as the mother of an autistic daughter. The character came from a simple but powerful need: for a child to encounter a story that did not treat her difference as a problem to be explained.
Our challenge was not to illustrate a condition. It was to direct a character, with desire, humour, vulnerability, rhythm and a voice of her own, and build a film capable of speaking to children and adults without losing the truth that inspired it.
A sensitive story does not become universal by becoming generic. It becomes universal when its truth is directed precisely.
Technology creates possibilities. Direction decides what deserves to exist.
Images are becoming abundant. Production is becoming faster. Formats can multiply almost instantly.
Generation alone does not determine the point of view of a story. It does not know which silence must remain, when a camera movement deepens the emotion, how a character should carry a feeling or what responsibility a filmmaker assumes when a sensitive subject reaches an audience.
That is direction.
Technology can expand our production capacity enormously, but it cannot replace the human judgment that gives a story depth. Directing is interpreting, choosing, building rhythm, finding the tone and taking responsibility for how an idea reaches people.
Rod Hurtado · Director
Two minds. One vision.
Throughout production, Rod worked in dialogue with Steve, the WiVO Human AI Film Director.
Steve was not used as a generic image generator. He worked as a directing intelligence inside the production: carrying context, exploring creative paths, connecting references and helping thousands of possibilities remain accountable to one vision.
This was not human creativity competing with artificial intelligence. It was a director giving his vision a second creative mind.
The film was not generated. It was built through decisions.
Character01Personality built through silhouette, expression, posture, movement and performance.
World02Light, scale, density and colour shaped around Sibell's emotional experience.
- Camera03
Composition, staging and musical timing directed before final production.
- Hybrid production04
3D animation, CGI, AI and established filmmaking techniques used where each strengthened the work.
- Finish05
Every scene returned to one question: does this still feel true to Sibell?
One character. Many cultures. The same emotional truth.
The Autistic Cicada premiered on 3 September 2026 across 157 Cinesystem screens in Brazil. Its international rollout continues with exhibitions and release activity across Canada, the United Kingdom, Europe and the United States, spanning nine languages.
- 157
- Cinema screens in Brazil
- 9
- Languages in the international rollout
- Global
- Brazil · Canada · UK · Europe · US
Not just a film. A point of view people can recognize.
XCAVE works with brands, agencies and entertainment partners through a clear production relationship: you bring the ambition or the brief; we interpret it, direct it, produce it and deliver the film.
The process is familiar. The possibilities are not.
- Brand films
- Campaign films
- Animation
- Branded documentaries
- Branded entertainment
- Characters
- Narrative worlds
- International adaptations
Bring us the film your brand cannot afford to make generic.
Start with the brief you already have, or the idea you cannot stop thinking about.
XCAVE Studios · Human-led · AI-amplified