| a journey into the heart of AI ethics
| BEST WATCHED ON A COMPUTER |
Shot at Caltech, Pasadena (Dec 17–20, 2025, first shooting period) with full university support. This intro humanizes Anima’s work and personal life while setting the narrative stage. Moving forward, the focus shifts to the journey: the evolving path of her mission.
SYNOPSIS
'The one skill AI can't replace is human curiosity.'
Animashree Anandkumar is a powerhouse in the field of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. Her status is that of a world-leading AI researcher and pioneer, driving the technology forward from both academic and industrial fronts.
The core of her work is rooted in her belief that AI should be a tool to better understand the world and improve the human condition, moving beyond mere commercial applications or large language models.
#WAY_Anima follows the sheer, relentless velocity of her professional and personal life: a blur of transatlantic flights, university research, and corporate strategy sessions. We see how she balances the quiet, deep thinking required for foundational science with the rapid-fire decision-making needed in the corporate world, revealing the cost and commitment of an individual who is always on because the future of AI depends on it.
On her path to building the next revolution in AI (models for the physical world on a large scale) she encounters unexpected challenges: Most governments understand chatbots, but they don't understand how AI models for the physical world are the new infrastructure of a nation, like roads or water. Anima becomes a crucial bridge, navigating the complex geopolitics of resource allocation and regulation.
#WAY_Anima is an intimate look at a pioneer who is perpetually in motion, fueled by the desire to ensure the algorithms she designs benefit the global village. We explore the human side of AI.
​
IDA (International Documentary Association) 501(c)(3) Fiscal Sponsorship approved.
ANIMA ANANDKUMAR
Animashree Anandkumar, or Anima, is a pioneer whose success is predicated on her ability to operate simultaneously in the deepest reaches of theoretical computer science (Caltech) and the highest levels of industrial power (NVIDIA). She highlights AI’s Potential to solve hard scientific challenges.
She was born in Mysore, India, her parents are both engineers. She is married to Benedikt from Augsburg, Germany; also an AI engineer.
Anima has earned her position as a preeminent AI expert through groundbreaking work in optimizing deep learning models. Using neural operators, Anima and her collaborators are able to build systems with universal physical understanding that can simulate any physical process, generate novel engineering designs that were previously out of reach, and make new scientific discoveries.
​
She developed the first AI-based high-resolution weather model, tens of thousands of times faster than current forecasting systems, and created the field of AI-based weather and climate modeling. Her AI algorithms have enabled many other scientific advances such as designing a novel medical device, inventing an anti-cancer drug currently in clinical trials, and safer autonomous drone flights.
Anima is currently a Bren professor at Caltech and a fellow of the IEEE, ACM, and AAAI. She has received several awards, including the Time 100 Impact Award, IEEE Kiyo Tomiyasu Award, the Schmidt Sciences AI2050 senior fellow, and best paper awards at venues such as Neural Information Processing and the ACM Gordon Bell Special Prize for HPC-Based COVID-19 Research.
She recently presented her work on AI+Science to the White House Science Council (PCAST), the National AI Advisory Committee, and at TED 2024.
Her motivation is to improve the world through technology, and she sees the relentless pace and constant connectivity not as a burden, but as a necessary engine to drive large-scale, positive change.
THE HUMAN SIDE OF AI
The narrative is driven by her internal monologue, exploring the tension between the speed required to stay ahead and the slowness needed to ensure ethical integrity. The film asks: When you are the one building the future, how do you find the personal space to ensure it's a good one?
This is a living storyline. It will be subject to ongoing adjustments during filming to reflect real-time developments.
1. OPENING. SCIENCE AS ADVENTURE
Lab sequences at Caltech, whiteboard sessions, animated neural operator workflows.
 Fast-cut montage of Caltech campus and Los Angeles streets. Anima is introduced in action: slow motion shots of her entering Caltech’s campus, she walks between labs, lecture halls, and her office. Screens and monitors flash simulation data, graphs, and neural network outputs. Animated overlays visualize physical phenomena being predicted by her algorithms. Her iPad and laptop buzz with notifications: research questions, collaboration requests, conference invites. She answers instantly, her pace precise, confident.
​
Good developments: The US government recently launched an initiative via executive order to use artificial intelligence in scientific research: the 'Genesis Mission.' It is intended to utilize government research datasets to train AI models and accelerate scientific breakthroughs in biotechnology, nuclear energy, and space exploration.
​
The US and China are in a 'no-limits' arms race. Smaller or highly regulated nations (like the EU or developing countries) are being left in the dust. Anima wants to ensure the 'Physical AI' revolution doesn't become a gated community for superpowers.
The pressure is tangible. She is preparing for a major grant paper submission that could fundamentally change how scientific simulations are run via AI; a project she believes will accelerate climate research. The deadline is looming.
2. FROM CODE TO IMPACT
Inside her lab, cameras track her hands over keyboards, pens, and whiteboards. We see complex visualizations of turbulence, neural operator predictions, and fusion plasma models.
We delve into her research, visualizing complex mathematical concepts (Tensors) as elegant, interlocking structures. She leads a team in the Computational AI Lab. Whiteboards are filled with tensors, equations, and algorithms. We see high-speed simulation visualizations: hurricanes forming, plasma dynamics, fluid flows. She discusses results with postdocs, iterating models, checking accuracy against real-world measurements.
'AI is not just about automation; it’s about understanding the unseen. Neural operators let me see the world differently, faster, better.'
Meteorologists interpreting her FourCastNet outputs, engineers designing medical catheters, scientists simulating nuclear plasmas. Drone and POV shots show devices responding in real time. Emphasis on tangible effect of her work.
We are adjusting the moral compass, evaluating the benefits and dangers of AI, especially with a view toward the future. Where does it stand in terms of values, and how does it try to enforce them? Anima’s models can be applied in vastly different directions: the balancing act between cancer research and nuclear fusion, with weather forecasting in between, is certainly not easy to master and requires constant recalibration.
​​​​
Every new technology comes with advantages and disadvantages, and the more you try to focus on the advantages, the more you run into the automatically emerging downsides. So what are we as human kind supposed to do?
​​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
3. CURIOSITY AND ROOTS
​
Mysore childhood, family influences, early fascination with mathematics and technology. The bridge to the present. We sense the long journey she has undertaken. Interview statements from Benedikt and close colleagues about her personality, ambition, and courage.
Anima flies to an NVIDIA (or other) hub in the Silicon Valley, or to a major conference. The environment is different: high-stakes, market-driven, focused on scaling. She meets with executives about the next generation of GPU architecture and how her research can be integrated. A tension is established: the need for unprecedented speed and robustness to run her beneficial models versus the commercial imperative of the hardware giant. She’s advocating for research-focused allocation.
In the evening, she discusses the processes and possibilities of the models with her husband Benedikt, also an AI engineer. What potential has she overlooked so far, and how can she maximize efficiency? Which of her contacts can she speak to confidentially without making her plans public?
Despite, or perhaps precisely because of the cultural differences, Benedikt appears as both her emotional and professional anchor.
'I was always curious. Every equation, every machine was a question waiting for an answer. Now, I’m building tools that let the world speak faster than we ever could.
​
That raises the question how significant the lag between creation and consequence is.'​
Anima delivers a keynote at a major tech summit. Her speech is not merely technical; it’s a powerful call for ethical governance and accessibility of AI. A moment of vulnerability appears when she fields a sharp question about the potential misuse of her technology, prompting a thoughtful, unscripted response on the responsibility of researchers. She articulates her belief that mathematical transparency is the best form of ethical regulation. A powerful moment shows her reframing a hostile question about 'slowing down progress' into a challenge about 'building lasting, equitable progress'.
Back in the lab: Building on her visit to NVIDIA, during which we learned that she wants to take her weather model to the next level and will need massive resources and political support to do so.
​
Governments have become obsessed with the 'Chatbot Revolution', focusing their regulatory and financial energy on text-based AI. But Anima sees a different, more dangerous blind spot. While the world is distracted by digital mimicry, the infrastructure of the physical world, agriculture, weather prediction, and drug discovery, is being neglected by those who need it most.
​
She discusses the need for academic freedom to explore concepts that are currently unpopular but could be revolutionary; a stark contrast to the short-term focus of the market.
​
4. TEACHING AND EMPOWERMENT
AI4Science program, mentoring students, nurturing curiosity and responsibility.
Quick cut to her mentorship work with young researchers in AI4Science: guiding, encouraging, debating. Camera captures dialogue, laughter, and animated debates. They are working intensely on a core problem: how to use tensor decomposition to make deep learning models interpretable. The scene is intellectual. a battle against the limits of current knowledge. Anima guides, challenges, and inspires, showing her as a demanding but passionate mentor.
She reflects on responsibility: 'Curiosity is human. Machines can predict, but they cannot question. That is where we come in. Responsibility is part of every model we build. Without it, speed and precision are meaningless.'
Benedikt questions a recent assumption; Anima counters, their dialogue weaving technical precision and strategic foresight. He challenges her without judgment, she listens without defensiveness. The dynamic shows trust, respect, and intellectual intimacy.
The moral conflicts are deepened at this point: boiled down, it’s currently about the race to a superintelligences; that’s the jackpot. The USA and China are investing all available resources without restraint, because at its core, it’s about supplying the massive data centers with enough energy.
The political tension is no longer about who owns the AI, but about the terrifying reality that we are building a 'God' in a laboratory without a kill-switch.
More energy means more computing power, which means a faster pace toward superintelligence. There is no time to pause, for meaningful legislation, or even to consider where all of this is heading. In the USA, the game is driven by six players who are relentlessly pushing forward, with government support. The social consequences are foreseeable but are not considered at all, nor is there any attempt to mitigate them.
​5. CHALLENGES AND DOUBTS
Ethical and societal reflections: AI limitations, potential misuse, human oversight.
The film slows down. Anima steps away from screens for the first time in days. She and Benedikt walk in the LA hills, observing natural phenomena, feeling wind and sunlight. They are taking the (their) time for some carefree hours together, back home she journals and sketches, dances, reconnecting with intuition.
'I teach machines to predict nature, but I must remember to feel it myself.'
Night falls. She sits sketching ideas for a reaction to the governments, he brings a cup of tea. Small smiles, moments of silence. A personal sanctuary amid global pressures. Benedikt doesn’t direct, he stabilizes.
The camera lingers on their quiet coordination, the calm before the next storm of innovation.
Anima feels confronted with 'The Bureaucratic Wall': well-meaning but slow-moving entities that are accidentally sabotaging their own future. In Europe, she finds heavy regulation that risks stifling the very innovation needed to solve the climate crisis. In smaller, developing nations, she encounters leaders who believe they have nothing to offer the AI race because they lack the massive server farms of Silicon Valley.
She reflects on the vastness of the challenges she tackles (climate change, disease) and the limited power of one person. Sends out a manifesto with a very direct line of argument, released as a press statement. It orchestrates a 'Proof of Concept' that serves as a global wake-up call. She unites a decentralized network of researchers from left-behind regions to prove that the next revolution in AI doesn't require a nuclear power plant's worth of energy or a trillion-dollar data center.
She argues that if a nation cannot model its own climate, its own soil, and its own public health through AI, it has lost its sovereignty. Automatically, she becomes a bridge between the hyper-scale world of NVIDIA and the resource-constrained realities of the Global South.
Then Anima immediately opens a new tab, starting the research for the next monumental challenge. The conclusion emphasizes that her journey is the pursuit, not the destination.
6. LOOKING FORWARD
Next-gen neural operators, climate, medicine, and energy applications.
We see Anima engaging in a global outreach event, perhaps a virtual meeting with researchers in India or Africa. She talks passionately about decentralizing AI tools and providing low-resource solutions. This highlights her use of constant connectivity to democratize the technology, not just manage her career. She is clearly a global figure, not just an American/Western one.
She has shown that the future of AI isn't about who has the biggest machine, but who ensures that Physical Intelligence is a shared human heritage. She directs the global community to prioritize efficiency and equity, ensuring that the benefit of her work is not a gated commodity, but a tool for global survival.
​​
The film ends with a quiet scene: Anima is alone, but not lonely, perhaps on a balcony overlooking a city or a natural landscape. She is reading a physical book (science, philosophy, or literature) or meditating for a brief moment.
On a convention, Anima demonstrates a new neural operator simulation for sustainable energy. Experts and journalists watch in awe. Close-up of her eyes, a small smile: she’s still curious, still building bridges between computation and reality. Fade out with ambient lab sounds blending into natural outdoor sounds.
'AI is a bridge between curiosity and reality. My job is to make sure it connects, ethically and meaningfully.'
SNIPPETS | ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE
Alma on Anima
Anima and Caltech President Thomas F. Rosenbaum
Anima and Mathematics Professor Sergei Gukov
David Zierler on Anima
Higher Mathematics with Prof. Sergei Gukov
David Zierler on Anima
Caltech Students on AI
In the Lab with Prof. Soon-Jo Chung
Students on AI
Sc. D. Soon-Jo Chung on the collaboration
MEET THE TEAM
​
DIRECTOR, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Alan Rexroth https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Rexroth is a German filmmaker who lives in New York City and Berlin. He began making documentaries and music videos at the Heidelberg Media Forum when he was just 15 years old and was one of the organizers of the Heidelberg Film and Video Days. He initially studied politics and history in Heidelberg with the aim of becoming a journalist and accompanied the artist Christo during the wrapping of the Reichstag. Numerous trips to the most remote places in the world and his work in various socially committed projects, mainly in Latin America and Nepal, shaped his view of the world and are strongly reflected in his work.
His documentary 'El Elefante Blanco' (2011) shows the Mercado Adolfo Lopez Mateos as a microcosm of Mexican life and a society struggling for its soul in the stormy age of globalization: http ://www.elelefanteblanco.de The film has been successful at many international film festivals. His documentaries #WAY_Aurelio und #WAY_LamaTenzing have been internationally awarded more than 50 times.
​
PRODUCTION
Felix Vollmar is not only good at advertising, but also at feature and documentary films. After training as an advertising executive and working on several advertising film production projects, he began his studies at the Filmakademie Baden-Württemberg in the Creative Producing department. Since then, Felix is based in Berlin and has been working internationally as a creative producer and line producer in the field of advertising, content marketing and image films for clients such as Deutsche Telekom, Bentley and Montblanc.
​
Jordan Jaacks is a creative collaborator working across music, film, and digital storytelling. He was previously featured musically and worked on the film crew for the documentary #WAY_Aurelio. He is a Operations & Project Manager with a people-first leadership style and strong ownership of outcomes. And brings the same leadership mindset to every role: clear expectations, strong communication, and ownership from start to finish.
​
CINEMATOGRAPHY
Edgar Bahena has over 10 years of experience as a Director of Photography, and collaborated with renowned internationally awarded directors. His professional journey has taken him to various countries in Latin America, the United States, and Europe, providing him with a broad international perspective. Among his recent projects is "La Reina del Sur 3," one of the most ambitious productions in Latin America and ranking 7th with the highest views worldwide on the Netflix platform. "La Partitura Secreta," a mystery and fantasy series for Disney, has been dubbed in over 18 languages. Additionally, he worked on "Camino al Olympia," a documentary about Ana Gabriel, filmed in Mexico, Miami, Madrid, and Paris. Currently based in Los Angeles, Edgar is deeply involved in developing his first television series as a Showrunner.
​
Jimena Cuarón comes from a Mexican film dynasty and grew up in England and Mexico. After studying art at UNAM Mexico City, she accompanied her uncle Alfonso as a make-up and camera assistant across film sets around the world. She was also able to expand her portfolio as an actress in several Mexican productions before moving to Barcelona, where she currently resides.
JUNIOR CAMERA AND EDITING
Alex Shuklin is studying media at the iSFF Berlin. At the age of 16, he and some friends set up a film production company in Kiev, and then the war in Ukraine sent him on a journey to Germany. His current short film 'Why the North?' is currently enjoying success at international film festivals.
​
THE EXECUTIVE FILM PRODUCTIONS
Angry Buddha Films GmbH is a multi-award-winning film production company from Berlin with global shooting experience. Founded with the aim of producing high-quality documentaries, Angry Buddha Films works with a large network of international talent and has also made an international name for itself in the field of advertising and image films. www.angrybuddha.de
​​
Shila Creatives LLC is a creative consultancy and production company based in New York City, operating at the intersection on film, advertising, and strategy. We advise both clients and creatives on the conception, planning, and execution of compelling visual campaigns and branded storytelling. We are home to true talented artists who work hard to create complex work for high end commercials, feature films and any visual content. We love to impress and make our clients proud. We are also a full-service production house and agency partner, offering end-to-end solutions from concept developing to final delivery. www.shila-creatives.com
CRAFT | LOOK AND FEEL
​
As with #WHEREAREYOU, the film thrives on its closeness to the protagonist and the connection this creates with the audience. Shot with high visual quality and featuring many small touches like timelapses, animations, POVs, or analogies to the AI world, the film blurs the line to fiction. Unscripted but narratively told, largely without talking heads or voiceover, the storyline immerses the viewer in an exciting journey into the world of AI.
The use of stock footage will be unavoidable: simulations, images from the tech world. Speeches at conventions by well-known figures like Eric Schmidt, Geoffrey Hinton, Sam Altman, Jeff Bezos, Jensen Huang - you name it. Chip production and construction sites of massive data centers. Government officials making statements. Footage of natural disasters and the AI models that will make them more predictable and thus more controllable in the future.
The rather cool tech world and Anima’s warm world are also aesthetically separated in the color grading, until they merge at the end. A handcrafted, honest film about a tech world that is still in its infancy, yet already changing everything. And that still meets with misunderstanding across the globe.
​
A thought or statement from Anima, captured in a taxi, on a plane, or rushing to her next conference speech, is worth more than any static interview, no matter how beautifully lit. We are creating authenticity and movement. And we will definitely maintain the narrative style of its predecessors, #WAY_Aurelio and #WAY_LamaTenzing, and if anything, intensify it even further.
DISTRIBUTION​
​
Generally, we anticipate a festival run that matches or even exceeds the success of the previous #WHEREAREYOU releases. With over 50 international awards, #WAY_Aurelio and #WAY_LamaTenzing are widely recognized as milestones in innovative documentary cinema. Science Festivals Science film festivals are scouring the market for documentary films that blend scientific excellence with cinematic aesthetics.
​
​We are committed to collaborating with premier boutique distributors like ROCO films, Abramorama, and Together films, to secure a theatrical release for #WAY_Anima and the broader #WHEREAREYOU series, ensuring these stories reach the big screen where they belong.
​
A 45/60-minute documentary (referred to as a 'mid-length' or 'TV-hour' documentary) about a highly topical subject like AI Ethics and a key figure such as Anima offers excellent distribution opportunities in the US and international market:
​
Public Broadcasting & TV, examples: PBS stations (such as WNET in NY or KCET in LA) often acquire shorter pieces for thematic programming slots focused on science and technology. WORLD Channel: a PBS offshoot specializing in social issues and diversity. Anima’s story fits their profile perfectly.
Educational Distribution: US universities and libraries have dedicated budgets for acquiring content licenses. Platforms: Kanopy is the market leader for streaming in US universities and public libraries. Other specialized providers include Alexander Street and Films Media Group. Target Audience: Computer Science departments, Gender Studies (due to Anima’s pioneering role for women in tech), and Ethics seminars. Model: Selling DSL (Digital Site Licenses) for 1, 3, or 5 years directly to institutions.
Streaming (SVOD) examples: CuriosityStream, focused on science and technology. MagellanTV, strong in the areas of biography and innovation. GuideDoc, curated streaming for high-quality, sophisticated documentaries.
​
Impact and Corporate Screenings: Since AI ethics is a critical issue for businesses, there is significant potential for B2B distribution. Tech Conferences: Screenings at events like NeurIPS (where Anima is highly active), SXSW (South by Southwest), or specialized AI ethics conferences.
Corporate Training: Major tech firms book such films for internal workshops on 'Responsible AI.' High licensing fees can be charged for these one-time screenings.
#WHEREAREYOU: #WAY_Aurelio | #WAY_LamaTenzing | #WAY_Maureen | #WAY_Anima​
#WHEREAREYOU. How digital communication defines who we are.
120min documentary | Written and directed by Alan Rexroth.
​
Synopsis
When I can communicate directly with a friend in California while sitting in Berlin. When I can witness political and cultural events across the world without leaving my home - where am I then? Who am I then?
The documentary #WHEREAREYOU explores the limits of digital communication in a narrative form. Through the stories of four protagonists, we create a cycle from the first contact with the digital world to the loss of control.
The film takes one of the most frequently asked questions of our time - Where are you? - as a starting point to reflect about the advantages and disadvantages of digitalization, always along the interface between face-to-face and digital communication.
Does digital communication simply modify our human needs, or does it fundamentally change them? Will the need for closeness be replaced by algorithms for future generations? And does AI have the potential to bring humanity to its senses?
#WAY_Anima
Documentary Film, 45 min​
​
4K RAW, Netflix Specs
Cinema, TV
Festivals, Streaming
​
Production Period
Dec 2025 - April 2027
​
Contact
Angry Buddha Films
Alan Rexroth
+1.347-539-0853