A groundbreaking artificial intelligence (AI) tool developed by London-based company Flawless is revolutionizing the way foreign-language films are localized for the US market. Using deepfake-style visual dubbing, the technology realistically alters actors’ lip movements and facial expressions to match dubbed dialogue, making the films more accessible and authentic for English-speaking audiences. This innovation was showcased in the recent US theatrical release of Watch the Skies, a Swedish sci-fi film, which was screened in 110 AMC Theatres across the country with AI-enhanced dubbing.
Opening New Doors for Foreign Films in the US Market
XYZ Films, an independent studio based in Los Angeles, has been closely involved in bringing international cinema to American audiences. Maxime Cottray, COO of XYZ Films, described the US market as historically challenging for foreign-language content. “It’s been limited to coastal New York viewers through art house films,” he explained. “America is not a culture which has grown up with subtitles or dubbing like Europe has.”
The release of Watch the Skies with AI-driven dubbing represents a significant step forward. Cottray observed, “If the film were not dubbed into English, it would never have made it into US cinemas in the first place. US audiences were able to see a Swedish independent film that otherwise only a very niche audience would have seen.” Encouraged by the response, AMC Theatres plans to expand this approach to further foreign-language releases.
Flawless and DeepEditor: The Technology Behind the Transformation
Flawless, headquartered in Soho, London, was founded in 2020 by writer-director Scott Mann, who has worked on films such as Heist and Final Score. Mann developed DeepEditor, a proprietary AI tool that digitally manipulates facial features to create seamless lip-syncing for dubbed audio while preserving the original actor’s performance.
“When I worked on Heist in 2014, I saw how poorly traditional dubbing techniques conveyed the emotion of the original performances,” Mann remarked. “The old world of dubbing really changes everything about the film. It’s all out of sync, performed differently, and lowers the quality experienced by international audiences.”
DeepEditor employs a combination of face detection, facial recognition, landmark detection, and 3D face tracking to capture an actor’s physical and emotional performance in every frame. Rather than relying on reshoots or re-recordings, the technology modifies existing footage to realistically simulate the appearance of speaking a new language. This approach reduces production time and costs significantly.
Mann highlighted that Watch the Skies was the first fully visually dubbed feature film using this method. The technology also allows for swapping dialogue lines or enhancing performances between takes, all while maintaining the original emotional content of the actors.
Expanding Opportunities Amid a Growing Market
The rise of global streaming platforms like Netflix and Apple TV+ has driven demand for localized content, boosting the global dubbing market from an estimated US$4 billion in 2024 to a forecasted $7.6 billion by 2033, according to Business Research Insights.
“The cost of our process varies by project,” said Mann, declining to reveal exact figures. “But it works out at about a tenth of the cost of traditional reshoots or dubbing methods.” Flawless’ clients include many of the world’s largest streaming services, and the company believes AI dubbing will enable foreign films to reach unprecedented audiences.
“There is an enormous amount of incredible cinema and TV that is just never seen by English-speaking people because many don’t want to watch subtitled or traditionally dubbed versions,” Mann asserted. “Our technology empowers creatives and preserves artistic integrity rather than replacing actors or synthetic voices.”
Balancing Innovation with Cultural Concerns
Despite the technology’s promise, some experts urge caution, highlighting potential cultural and accessibility issues. Neta Alexander, assistant professor of film and media at Yale University, emphasized the risk that AI dubbing could homogenize foreign films.
“If all foreign films are adapted to look and sound English, the audience’s relationship with the foreign becomes increasingly mediated, synthetic, and sanitized,” Alexander said. She warned this could discourage cross-cultural literacy and reduce support for subtitled or original-language screenings, which offer authentic experiences of diverse cultures.
Alexander also noted the importance of subtitles and closed captioning for accessibility. “Subtitles are crucial not only for language learners but also for immigrants, deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, and many others,” she explained. “Closed captioning preserves the integrity of storytelling for diverse audiences. Replacing it with automated mimicry risks narrowing film culture into a commodified, monolingual space.”
She suggested that instead of simplifying foreign films for English-speaking viewers, media industries should focus on cultivating audiences willing to engage with cinema on its own terms.
The Future of Film Localization
The introduction of AI-driven dubbing technologies like DeepEditor represents a significant development in international film distribution. By overcoming traditional language barriers more effectively and cost-efficiently, the technology opens up new markets for independent and foreign films, particularly in the competitive US market.
At the same time, this innovation raises important questions about cultural preservation, audience experience, and accessibility. Industry leaders and scholars alike stress the need for balanced approaches that respect originality while embracing technological progress.
With studios and exhibitors, including AMC, planning more AI-dubbed releases, the coming years will reveal how this technology reshapes the global film landscape potentially bridging audiences and cultures in new and unprecedented ways.
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