ByteDance's Seedance 2.0 generates feature film 'Hell Grind' for under $500K at Cannes

ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is making waves at the Cannes Film Festival with its Seedance 2.0 AI video model, which has produced the world's first fully AI-generated feature-length film. Titled 'Hell Grind,' the 95-minute action-fantasy movie was created by US-based AI video platform Higgsfield AI using Seedance 2.0. The film premiered at an AI film summit on the sidelines of Cannes, drawing significant industry attention. According to Higgsfield CEO Alex Mashrabov, the project was completed by a 15-person team in just two weeks at a total cost of less than $500,000, with approximately $400,000 attributed to compute costs. By comparison, a traditionally produced film of similar scope would typically cost around $50 million.

Beyond the feature film, two short films created by Chinese platform Chushou AI using Seedance 2.0—'The Golden Tomb Seeker' and 'Series Tower'—were selected among 21 works from over 1,000 submissions across 120 countries at Marché du Film, Cannes' business hub. ByteDance's aggressive push into AI-generated cinema challenges Hollywood's traditional production norms and budgets. The Seedance 2.0 model is a key part of ByteDance's strategy to commercialize its AI video generation capabilities, potentially democratizing filmmaking by drastically reducing costs and production timelines while enabling smaller teams to create high-quality content.