#SHOWBIZ: Yoki Chin's AI tribute to Pirate Queen
THE cutting edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) movie 'Pirate Queen — Zheng Yi Sao' is a first not only for Malaysia and Singapore, but also the world of cinema.
It marks the first major achievement for animation movie director Yoki Chin and Future Studios, his company which aims to advance Malaysian AI, creative technology, and digital innovation in cinema.
'Pirate Queen' is a collaboration between creative technology companies of Malaysia and Singapore, namely Future Studios and Fizz Dragon respectively.
Chin said: "The movie is a high-seas historical epic inspired by the real-life story of Zheng Yi Sao — a formidable female pirate who rose from poverty and exploitation to command the Red Flag Fleet, the most powerful pirate fleet in Chinese maritime history.
"But what truly distinguished Pirate Queen was her unwavering sense of justice.
"She led her fleet not just against rival pirates and imperial threats, but also against foreign invaders."
In a particularly powerful act, she commanded the destruction of foreign opium ships, a bold strike against the rising tide of colonial exploitation.
Her efforts resulted in one of the most successful reconciliations between pirates and the Qing Dynasty.
"Furthermore, she advised the Chinese national hero Lin Zexu in his resistance against British imperialism, embodying a fierce patriotism and devotion to her homeland," said Chin.
BRAINSTORMING
Chin said that the idea behind the movie emerged during early brainstorming sessions with his core creative team.
"We chose this story because it is based on a true story which offered a compelling opportunity to push the boundaries of AI-assisted storytelling — blending emotional depth with technological innovation.
"This is our first theatrical release where we used AI throughout the entire production pipeline.
"We built a distributed team of over 130 creatives from 13 countries, all working remotely.
"That in itself came with a lot of coordination — time zones, communication styles, and making sure everyone was in sync," he said.
Beyond that, there were some very specific creative challenges.
"Keeping the characters visually consistent across different scenes was tricky, especially when working with evolving AI tools.
"Lip-syncing voiceovers to match AI-generated visuals was another learning curve, and choreographing fight sequences in a way that felt dynamic and realistic took a lot of trial and error," said Chin.
"It pushed us to adapt quickly, stay flexible, and trust both the process and each other."
DIGITAL
Chin said that the Malaysian and Singaporean creative teams developed organically through a shared interest in AI and digital storytelling.
"While some members had worked together in other contexts, for many of us it was our first collaboration.
"Despite that, we quickly found common ground through aligned values and creative goals,."
Chin chose to join the project because of his love of new technology and good storytelling.
"The project offered a rare chance to explore using AI generated content as the main focus while telling a meaningful story.
"I'm passionate about narrative craft, and this was an opportunity to reimagine storytelling through an AI lens — one that fuses human emotion with digital creativity," he said.
Chin began building the team in March last year.
It was a hybrid of constant experimentation and development.
"If we were to make a similar film today, with a finalised script and our current setup, we estimate it would take about three months.
"We didn't use traditional voice actors. Instead, characters were brought to life through AI, guided by human direction," he said.
The AI director acted much like a conductor — shaping performances, expressions, and tone through careful technical and artistic input.
"We learnt the value of agile collaboration across borders and disciplines, the importance of deeply understanding new tools before integrating them into creative workflows, and how to develop an artistic instinct for working with AI," said Chin.
"These insights will guide us as we continue to innovate and refine our storytelling processes in future projects."
POSSIBILITIES
Chin said that AI opens up a lot of exciting possibilities, whether it is speeding up concept design, testing creative ideas quickly, or making parts of the production more efficient.
"It also comes with challenges, like making sure we use it responsibly and still keep the heart and emotion of real storytelling."
Chin said that he does not see AI as a replacement for traditional filmmaking, but more of a creative partner.
"We believe the heart of storytelling comes from human emotion, experience and vision.
"We are also planning to share what we have learned by helping more people explore AI-generated content to more professionals and non-professionals who are upskilling their content creation skills.
"The idea is to guide creators, whether they are from tech or film backgrounds on how to use AI alongside traditional techniques to bring their ideas to life in new and innovative ways," he said.
FINAS
Chin also said that the National Film Development Corporation or Finas was very supportive and understood the kind of innovation his team was trying to achieve.
"We were also supported by Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and the National AI Office (NAIO)."
Chin added that working with the Singaporean team was a great experience.
"They brought strong technical skills and a great sense of storytelling.
"Everyone brought something unique to the table, and it all came together beautifully."
Chin said that he was already working on new stories and ideas where AI can help make the creative process better.
"We are also planning our next film by blending live-action talent with AI-generated backgrounds and even mixing AI backgrounds with animated characters."
'Pirate Queen — Zheng Yi Sao' is slated for a theatrical release in July.
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