The intersection of artificial intelligence and cinematic preservation was intended to be a bridge to the past, but for one of the most significant works of Asian cinema, it has instead grow a digital nightmare. A recent attempt to restore Hou Hsiao-hsien’s 1989 masterpiece A City of Sadness
using AI technology in South Korea has resulted in severe visual distortions, leading to a wave of backlash and the reported banning of the version from art-house screens.
The controversy centers on a version of the film prepared by the South Korean distributor A-Some Pictures. The film, which won the Golden Lion at the Venice Film Festival in 1989, was scheduled to return to South Korean theaters on May 6, 2026, marking its first wide theatrical presence in the country in 36 years, having been largely absent since January 1990