▶
Borrowing Time
2024 · NARRATIVE SHORT
The short that moved AI film past spectacle: a Black father's story told with restraint, praised across the trades.
01Q3 2026 · INAUGURAL EDITION
Director Profile
USA · ACTIVE SINCE 2023
Dave Clark
From viral shorts to co-founding Promise, the a16z-backed AI studio, Clark has become the reference case for the AI-native director: cinematic instincts first, generative tooling second. "Borrowing Time" and "Battalion" defined the emotional register AI film was told it couldn't reach.
PROFILE VERIFIED 15·JUL·2026 · 4 SOURCED EVENTS
Selected Works
▶
Battalion
2024 · SCI-FI SHORT
Mech-scale war spectacle produced solo in weeks: the piece that put Clark on studio radars.
▶
NinjaPunk
2025 · ACTION · PROMISE
Premiered at Cannes 2025 as proof of Promise's studio pipeline.
Career Timeline
- 2025"NinjaPunk" screens at Cannes as Promise builds out its studio slate SOURCE: VARIETY
- 2024Co-founds Promise with backing from Peter Chernin's North Road and a16z: signs with UTA SOURCE: VARIETY · DEADLINE
- 2024"Borrowing Time" and "Battalion" reach millions of views and trade coverage SOURCE: WSJ · INDIEWIRE
- 2023First AI shorts published from a live-action directing background SOURCE: NO FILM SCHOOL