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Afro Futcha

AI filmmaker · Music video director · Music producer · London

Afro Futcha aka Diane Laidlaw

The London AI filmmaker who moves between eras like other directors move between scenes: a 1950s pastel musical, 1970s Blaxploitation disco, a 1975 Harlem horror comic, a 1985 New York noir and an Afrofuturist 2045[11][14][15][6][16].

WebsiteYouTubeInstagramLinkedInXBandcampSoundCloudApple Musicescape.aiFilmFreeway

Live stats

YouTube subscribers
818[2]
views across all 29 uploads of 6 Minutes, built in public
16.5K[2]
on 6 Minutes, Full Episodes 11, her most watched upload
7.52K[7]
views on her YouTube channel, Shorts included
50.6K[70]

As of 28 October 2026 · refreshed weekly from YouTube

01The short answer

Who is Afro Futcha?

Afro Futcha is the creative name of Diane Laidlaw, a British AI filmmaker, music video director and music producer based in London, whose films jump between eras: a 1950s pastel musical, 1970s Blaxploitation, a 1985 New York noir, an Afrofuturist 2045[3][4][11][14][6][16]. In August and September 2026 she built 6 Minutes, a 43-minute AI mystery, in public in about three weeks, starting from one 30-second clip[1][5]. She has taught AI since 2022, by her own account, and in October 2026 hosted the first TEDAI AI filmmaking competition in Vienna[3][29].

Real name
Diane Laidlaw[3][4][24]
Based in
London, UK[46][28]
Known for
6 Minutes, The Rent Collector, Silly Me, Quiet Please, The Last, Give It to Me, What Do I Know[2][18]
Before AI
Radio DJ, about 15 years in web design, and a music producer since Cubase on the Atari[1][11]
Studio work
Made Quiet Please with Nura Studios on its Showcraft platform, January to about July 2026[18][1]
Teaching
AI filmmaking workshops since 2022, by her site's count, plus a free one-hour AI animation course[3][42]

Page updated 29 October 2026 · 70 sources

02By the numbers

Diane in numbers

43 min 6 Minutes, the longest AI film she has made, grown from one 30-second clip Creator Sessions #9[1][6]
3 weeks from posting Scene 1 on 10 August 2026 to the first full cut on 31 August YouTube uploads[10][8]
15 parts of 6 Minutes posted in public, one deadline every morning YouTube, October 2026[2][5]
50,561 views on her YouTube channel, Shorts included YouTube, October 2026[70]
3 hours to make the Silly Me video, on the day she wrote the song Creator Sessions #9[1][11]
4 hours per film in the Director's Cup, for Beans on Toast and The Scarf Remembers YouTube descriptions[34][35]
1 image the base image behind Quiet Please, with about three made for the whole film Creator Sessions #9[1]
23 or 24 films made by her Day Job workshop in one 10am to 8pm day Creator Sessions #9[1]

03Biography

The Afro Futcha story

Radio, web design and beats

Diane Laidlaw did not come up through film. She went to drama school as a teenager and wanted to act until she was about 17 or 18, then worked a council job before becoming a radio DJ on stations including New Wave Station, run by Marc Mac of 4hero, and Brixton Radio[1]. After that came about fifteen years in web design[1][21]. Music ran underneath all of it: she has produced since Cubase on the Atari, and was known as "the beatmaking housewife"[11][1].

She never went to film school, and says AI film has made her wish she had[1]. Her YouTube channel sums up the attitude in one line: a lifelong creative whose current favourite tool is AI, and her coffee maker[2].

Grief, and Midjourney

In May 2020 her close friend, the British rapper Ty (Ben Chijioke), died after contracting Covid-19[39]. On AI LIVE she explained that she found Midjourney while grieving, and that it was one of the things that got her out of bed[1]. Her site dates her teaching of AI to 2022, and says Leonardo.ai was one of the first companies to back her, in 2023[3][26]. The earliest upload on her YouTube channel is a 2023 AI-generated movie trailer called Frames[63].

One of the things that actually got me out of bed was Midjourney.

Afro Futcha[1]

The first films

By her own account her journey into AI film started in November 2024[22]. That month she released Adore You, a song she wrote and produced, sung by AI, and by Christmas a whole AI jazz album, AiDL[44][45]. Then came a run in January 2025: Warm Coat, a surreal short about carrying other people's pain, later screened at Pinewood Studios according to her speaker profile[19][4]; What Do I Know, her first client music video, for a track by Artcha featuring Ty, with Ty redrawn as a cartoon[13][1]; and Give It to Me, a Blaxploitation disco video in which aliens take over a nightclub[14].

What Do I Know ends on a card that reads Ty Chijioke, 1972 to 2020[13]. Her site and her speaker profile say it won first place in the music video category at Project Odyssey, and she told AI LIVE it kickstarted everything[3][4][1]. We have not found the competition's own results page, so that win is as reported by her.

Every era, one signature

What makes her work recognisable is not one look but the jump between them. The Last, a 2025 mockumentary series, is set between 2045 and 2080 in misty teal worlds cut by single orange lights[16][17]. Silly Me puts her in a 1950s pastel-pink world[11]. The Rent Collector is a 1975 Harlem horror comic, and 6 Minutes is 1985 New York in warm tungsten light[15][6]. The Truth About Love is drawn in a teal-and-orange comic style she had been developing in Midjourney long before the song arrived[12][1].

The stories stay hers. She writes them herself first and only then goes looking for the look in image generators, and she often casts herself[21][1]. She told MOI Global she tells the stories she wants to hear, with visuals she actually wants to see[21].

I don't like writing my stories with AI. That part is very important to me.

Afro Futcha[21]

Deadlines suit her

She has said publicly that she is ADHD and autistic, and that short deadlines are where she works best: a long timeline leaves room to overthink, while a four-hour Gen Jam cuts all of that out[1][38]. In July 2026 she made Beans on Toast and The Scarf Remembers in four hours each for the Director's Cup, the Machine Cinema and OpenArt tournament[34][35][31]. Beans on Toast came second in that week's audience vote on AI LIVE[31].

6 Minutes, built in public

6 Minutes started with no plot. On 10 August 2026 she posted a 30-second Seedance 2.5 clip of a woman leaving a 1985 nightclub, followed by a man, and asked viewers what should happen next[10][1][5]. She then wrote, generated, edited and posted a new part almost every morning, ending each on a cliffhanger[1][5]. Part 3 topped AI LIVE's audience vote that week with nine straight 1s[32].

The first full cut went up on 31 August, about three weeks in, then a fine edit on 8 September and the final film on 23 September, the night she screened it on AI LIVE Creator Sessions #9[8][9][6][1]. It runs about 43 minutes: dancer and actress Alexia Smith goes missing after leaving Sam's bar, and Detective Rogers starts asking questions[5][6]. Its cumulative cut of the first eleven parts is the most watched video on her channel[7][2].

Quiet Please and Nura Studios

From January to about July 2026 she worked with Nura Studios, on its Showcraft platform, where she made Quiet Please[18][1]. It is a dialogue-free film about an autistic boy who cannot bear the noise of the school canteen, told through sound and inspired by her son[18][1]. She built it from one base image, using Seedance 2.0 as the image generator with "cut to" prompts, then screenshotting and upscaling the best frames[1]. The studio wanted 90-second pieces; she argued for about six minutes, and her site says the film was showcased at Annecy in June 2026[1][18].

Teacher, speaker, judge

Teaching runs alongside the films. She published a free one-hour Learn AI Animation workshop in March 2025, and in 2026 ran workshops including Day Job with invideo, where a room made 23 or 24 films between 10am and 8pm[42][1]. She has spoken on BBC World Service radio with John Gaeta and Simon Rajala, at AI House Davos during the World Economic Forum, at Bionic's AI London Creators Showcase and at the Black AI Film Festival[24][41][40][47]. In 2025 TEDAI Vienna screened a 90-minute programme of her work, and in October 2026 she hosted its first AI filmmaking competition[1][3][29]. Her site says Leonardo.ai named her in its 2026 Power List of the top 50 women AI filmmakers[26][25].

Her site also lists awards and nominations, including wins at the Chroma Awards, Jeju Global, PixVerse, Neuromasters and the UK Animation and Music Video Festival[3]. These are self-reported, and we have not verified them independently. Her site also reports festival selections: four films at Africa AI Creativity Week in Marrakech and The Stars at the AI Movie Awards in Mallorca, both in April 2026[27][37].

04Career timeline

From radio and web design to a 43-minute film

  1. May 2020

    Losing Ty

    Her close friend, the rapper Ty, dies after contracting Covid-19. Grieving, she finds Midjourney[39][1].

  2. 2022

    Teaching AI

    Her site dates the start of her AI teaching to 2022[3].

  3. 23 April 2023

    Frames

    Frames

    The earliest upload on her channel: a one-minute AI-generated movie trailer[63].

  4. 8 November 2024

    Adore You

    Adore You

    Her AI film journey starts in November 2024 with a song she wrote, produced and had sung by AI[44][22].

  5. 7 January 2025

    Warm Coat

    Warm Coat

    A surreal short about carrying other people's pain, later screened at Pinewood Studios[19][4].

  6. 16 January 2025

    What Do I Know

    What Do I Know

    Ty redrawn as a cartoon for Artcha's track. First place, music video category, Project Odyssey, per her site[13][3].

  7. 22 January 2025

    Give It to Me

    Give It to Me

    1970s Blaxploitation disco, music and visuals all AI, with aliens on the dancefloor[14].

  8. 1 February 2025

    The Last begins

    The Last begins

    An Afrofuturist mockumentary about what we lose to technology, later picked up by Fairground AI Creator TV[16][17].

  9. 26 August 2025

    WET

    WET

    A mostly underwater visual poem made in 48 hours for Runway's Gen:48, where it was a finalist[20][21].

  10. 8 October 2025

    BBC World Service

    Interviewed on AI and creativity in film, alongside John Gaeta and Simon Rajala[24].

  11. January 2026

    AI House Davos

    AI House Davos

    Her films shown at AI House Davos during the World Economic Forum[41][3].

  12. March 2026

    Leonardo Power List

    Named among Leonardo.ai's top 50 women AI filmmakers of 2026, per her site[26][25].

  13. June 2026

    Quiet Please at Annecy

    Her dialogue-free Nura Studios film, made from one base image, is showcased at Annecy, per her site[18].

  14. 10 August 2026

    6 Minutes, Scene 1

    6 Minutes, Scene 1

    A 30-second clip with no plan. Three weeks later it is a 43-minute film[10][8][1].

  15. 23 September 2026

    Creator Sessions #9

    Creator Sessions #9

    The final 6 Minutes goes up the night she screens it on AI LIVE[6][1].

  16. 28 October 2026

    Hosting TEDAI's first AI film competition

    Hosting TEDAI's first AI film competition

    AI horror, 90-second films, at the Hofburg in Vienna, five days after The Rent Collector premiered[29][15].

05Body of work

Films, music videos and albums

Views, ranked

Which of her films people watched most

6 Minutes, Full Episodes 117.52K
Showreel 20251.9K
Adore You1.2K
6 Minutes, 1st Draft1.16K
Learn AI Animation workshop1.1K
WET996
The Last, S1 E1: Keepers995
6 Minutes, Fine Edit931
Give It to Me928
6 Minutes (final film)781
The Clean Up616
Warm Coat557
The Last, S2 E1: The First Student537
Live On visualiser493
The Last, S1 E6: Death461
What Do I Know449
Spider Spider424
xMiss381
Mercury Retrograde353
The Stars336
BED318
The Last, S1 E2: Receptors301
AiDL293
The Last, S1 E5: Birth240
The Last, S1 E4: Walkers225
The Three Pigs194
Astrofunkology Vol 1184
Silly Me177
The Traits177
The Last, S1 E3: Lovers174
6 Minutes, Bloopers165
The Truth About Love157
The Rent Collector, Ep 1111
Beans on Toast96
Tough Love92
The Scarf Remembers27

View counts from YouTube as of 28 October 2026. 6 Minutes appears in several cuts because she published the build in public; together its 29 uploads have about 16,500 views[2]. The Last is listed episode by episode.

06The showcase

Six eras, one director

Most AI filmmakers find one look and keep it. Diane changes decade from film to film, and builds each world so completely that the palette alone tells you where you are[3][1]. Scroll through her eras, then take seven of her films apart, frame by frame.

Scroll through time

From a 1950s kitchen to 2045

Six films, six worlds, each with its own light and its own palette. The colours are sampled from frames of each film.

  1. A pastel-pink small town

    Silly MeSep 2026

    Technicolor housewife soul

    Diane casts herself as a housewife in a green swing dress, white gloves and pearls, in a world of pink tiles and mirror splits[11][1].

    Made in
    About three hours, the day she wrote the song[1]
    Made with
    Suno, Dreamina, Nano Banana[11]

    Sampled palette

    Frame by frame
    Silly Me, 1950s

  2. A nightclub, then a spaceship

    Give It to MeJan 2025

    Blaxploitation disco, with aliens

    Afros, Cadillacs and a FUTCHA bar in red and blue neon, until a UFO beams down and chrome aliens try to copy the dancers[14].

    Music
    AI, like the pictures[14]
    Read as
    A gentrification allegory with an alien twist[14]

    Sampled palette

    Frame by frame
    Give It to Me, 1970s

  3. Harlem, apartment 2B

    The Rent CollectorOct 2026

    Horror comic, hand-drawn look

    A landlord in a burgundy suit offers a tenant behind on rent a deal: one pill, one memory, debt settled. Everybody pays[15].

    Made in
    Two days[15]
    Series
    Episode 1 of a six-part anthology[15]

    Sampled palette

    Frame by frame
    The Rent Collector, 1975

  4. New York, after dark

    6 MinutesSep 2026

    Tungsten-lit mystery

    Yellow cabs, rotary phones, VHS tapes and TV street interviews, all grown from one 30-second clip of a woman leaving a club[6][5].

    Runtime
    About 43 minutes[1]
    Made with
    Seedance 2.5, Dreamina, invideo[5]

    Sampled palette

    Frame by frame
    6 Minutes, 1985

  5. Any couple, any kitchen

    The Truth About LoveAug 2026

    Soul-record comic in teal and orange

    Hoop earrings, head wraps, 70s print shirts and vinyl: couples all over each other one minute, cussing each other out the next[12][1].

    Made in
    About two days[1]
    Music
    DPROSPER, produced by King Michael Coy[12]

    Sampled palette

    Frame by frame
    The Truth About Love, Now

  6. After knowledge went digital

    The Last2025

    Afrofuturist mockumentary

    Monoliths, visors and floating books in misty teal, each cut by one line of orange light: a series about what humanity loses to technology[16][17].

    Set
    2045 to 2080[16][17]
    Next
    Coming to Fairground AI Creator TV[17]

    Sampled palette

    Frame by frame
    The Last, 2045
Thirty seconds, no plan 6 MIN0:15.000.00sOf 30 seconds
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6 Minutes · The opening, 0:01 to 0:25

The clip that started itThirty seconds, no plan

The clip that became a 43-minute film

Set inNew York, 1985

A woman in a 1985 nightclub sees her partner with someone else. She walks out into the wet street, and a man follows her[6][1]. Diane posted it on 10 August 2026 with no story in mind, because she wanted to know what happened next herself[10][5]. When viewers asked for more, she asked them one question, forward or back in time, and kept the pen for everything else[1].

I started because I made a weird 30-second clip and wanted to know what happened next.
Afro FutchaHow I Made Six Minutes[5]

Then15 parts in public. A first full cut in three weeks. A fine edit. A final film.[2][8][9][6]

Made with
Seedance 2.5, with Dreamina and invideo[5][1]
Final film
42:31 on YouTube, 23 September 2026[6]
Frames
Eight stills, about 3.5 seconds apart, from the final cut[6]

10 August to 31 August 2026

Fifteen parts, posted in public

A deadline every morning: think about the story, write it, generate, edit, and post by the next day in whatever state it is in, on a cliffhanger[1][5]. Swipe through the build.

S1

10 Aug 202692 views

Scene 1

The 30-second clip, posted with no plan[10].

S2

11 Aug 202647 views

Scene 2

Viewers chose forward in time, so she opened on interviews about the missing woman[1].

S3

11 Aug 202657 views

Scene 3

Part 3 topped AI LIVE Episode 128's vote with nine straight 1s[32].

E11

22 Aug 2026176 views

Part 11

Posted with a cumulative cut that became her most watched upload[7].

View counts from YouTube, 28 October 2026[2]. The cumulative Full Episodes cuts that ran alongside the parts are counted in the live strip at the top of the page.

How 6 Minutes got made

A deadline every morning

No script, no ending in mind, and a rule from her workshops: get it on the timeline and work it out in the mix[1].

  1. 01 Post a clip One 30-second Seedance 2.5 shot, no plan[10][5]. Seedance 2.5
  2. 02 Ask one question Forward or back in time? Viewers said forward. She kept the rest[1]. The audience
  3. 03 Write it herself Each morning: think, then write the next part. Never with AI[1][21]. Her notebook
  4. 04 Generate and edit Shots, voices and music, cut the same day[5]. Dreamina, invideo, ElevenLabs
  5. 05 Post on a cliffhanger Out by the next morning, whatever state it is in[1]. YouTube, LinkedIn
  6. 06 Fix it in the mix Regrade, repair sound, swap music, redo faces that drifted[1][9]. Fine edit, 8 Sep
Silly Me SILLY ME1:14.50
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Silly Me · 0:57 to 1:21

1950sSilly Me

She cast herself, on the day she wrote the song

StarringDiane, as a 1950s housewife

Out on a pastel street with her groceries, she meets a man, he takes her gloved hand, and she walks on alone[11]. Diane often casts herself, and loves 1940s and 1950s swing dresses: the Stepford wife look, she says, just not the lifestyle[1]. On AI LIVE, Chris and Andrew reached for Wes Anderson and Pleasantville to describe the palette[1].

Music is my first love.
Afro FutchaSilly Me, YouTube description[11]

Same daySong written. Built track by track in Suno. Video in about three hours. Released.[11][1]

Made with
Suno, Dreamina, Nano Banana[11]
Remixes
A Jazz visualiser and a Bruk remix video followed[2]
Frames
Eight stills, 3.5 seconds apart[11]
Hugging one minute, cussing the next TRUTH1:21.804.20sKiss to row
  1. Hugging one minute, cussing the next, frame 1 of 801
  2. Hugging one minute, cussing the next, frame 2 of 802
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  6. Hugging one minute, cussing the next, frame 8 of 808

The Truth About Love · 1:16 to 1:26

The turnHugging one minute, cussing the next

A kiss that turns into a row in under three seconds

Music byDPROSPER, Soul In The Horn

The song is about love's contrasts, so the video holds a painful subject in dreamy pictures: a couple kissing in a teal-and-orange kitchen, a white flash, then the row[12][1]. The look is a Midjourney comic style she had been building for a long time before the song arrived[1]. The video was sponsored by Dreamina and made in about two days[12][1].

Track
Soul In The Horn 10 Year Anniversary Edition, produced by King Michael Coy[12]
Made with
Midjourney for the style, Dreamina for motion[1][12]
Frames
Eight stills, 1.4 seconds apart. Frame 4 is the flash[12]
Ty, redrawn
  1. Ty, redrawn, frame 1 of 1101
  2. Ty, redrawn, frame 3 of 1103
  3. Ty, redrawn, frame 5 of 1105
  4. Ty, redrawn, frame 7 of 1107
  5. Ty, redrawn, frame 9 of 1109
  6. Ty, redrawn, frame 11 of 1111

What Do I Know · Artcha ft. Ty · 2025

A life in picturesTy, redrawn

Her friend's life, told as a storybook

In memory ofTy (Ben Chijioke), 1972 to 2020

Her first client music video, for a track by Artcha featuring Ty, redraws the late rapper as a cartoon in warm sepia, glasses and tie, and walks through a life in pictures: a sixteenth birthday, rejection letters, dreams, the street[13][1]. It ends on a black card: Ty Chijioke, 1972 to 2020[13]. Her site says it won first place in Project Odyssey's music video category[3]. Seen next to The Rent Collector, it shows how far her animation came in under two years[13][15].

Released
16 January 2025[13]
Recognition
Project Odyssey first place, music video, as reported on her site[3][4]
Frames
Eleven stills in story order, not one continuous shot[13]
The beam over the FUTCHA bar GIVE IT1:30.40Phase 1 of 2The beam
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  2. The beam over the FUTCHA bar, frame 2 of 802
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  4. The beam over the FUTCHA bar, frame 5 of 805
  5. The beam over the FUTCHA bar, frame 7 of 807
  6. The beam over the FUTCHA bar, frame 8 of 808

Give It to Me · 1:28 to 1:36

The arrivalThe beam over the FUTCHA bar

A UFO lands on a Blaxploitation night out

ArrivingChrome aliens with a taste for disco

The first half is a photoreal 1970s night out in saturated red and blue neon. Then a ship hangs over the bar called FUTCHA, beams cut through the smoke, and inside, a dancer looks up[14]. From there the aliens take the dancefloor and the DJ booth, trying to mimic the people they replace, which her site reads as gentrification with an alien twist[14][3].

Music
AI, like the visuals[14]
Selected
Africa AI Creativity Week, Marrakech, April 2026[27]
Frames
Eight stills, 1.2 seconds apart, either side of a cut[14]
The wedding portrait EP 11:33.850.00sMemory taken
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The Rent Collector · Episode 1 · 1:31

The portraitThe wedding portrait

A photo that glitches as a memory is taken

Collected byThe landlord of apartment 2B

Harlem, 1975. A husband three weeks behind on rent takes the landlord's deal: one pill, one memory, debt settled[15][33]. On the wall, the wedding portrait starts to jitter, the posed couple jerking into a struggle as the memory goes[15]. It is the first of a six-part animated anthology inspired by Blaxploitation, made in two days, and it drew twelve straight 1s on AI LIVE's weekly show[15][33].

Everybody pays.
The Rent CollectorEpisode 1 description[15]
Format
Six-part animated horror anthology[15]
On AI LIVE
Episode 136, 12 straight 1s, second in the vote[33]
Frames
Eight stills, 0.75 seconds apart[15]

The Last · 2025

By 2045, most knowledge had gone digital

The Last is Diane's Afrofuturist mockumentary series, set between 2045 and 2080, about what people lose to technology: libraries, walking, birth, death, learning[16][17]. Each episode is narrated like a documentary, with its subtitles burned into the picture[16].

It has the most consistent look in her work: misty teal worlds, figures in black, and a single line of orange light[16]. The series is coming to Fairground AI Creator TV[17].

The Keepers
Archivists who keep paper books, because they believe paper holds secrets technology cannot replicate. Episode 1, February 2025[16].
Seven episodes
Keepers, Receptors, Lovers, Walkers, Birth and Death, then a second season opening with The First Student[2].
Most watched
The Last Keepers, with about 1,000 views on YouTube[2].
Selected
The Last Birth and The First Student were picked for Africa AI Creativity Week in Marrakech, 2026[27].
In print
d la Repubblica's December 2025 profile of Diane centred on The Last Birth[23].
Next
Distribution on Fairground AI Creator TV, which also picked up 6 Minutes[17][5].
The pages rise EP 11:09.60
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The Last Keepers · 1:05 to 1:10

2045The pages rise

A bookcase that lets go of its paper

Kept byThe Keepers

In the first episode the narrator explains why the Keepers held on to paper, and the pages answer: they rise out of the shelves and swirl in a slow teal storm[16]. It is a good example of the series' method, a documentary voice over impossible pictures[16].

Episode
The Last Keepers, S1 E1, 1 February 2025[16]
Subtitles
Burned into the film, as on every episode[16]
Frames
Eight stills, 0.6 seconds apart[16]

Her casts

The faces of six worlds

One director, and nobody looks like they came from the same film. Tap or click a card to flip it.

  • Alexia Smith 6 Minutes, 1985Alexia SmithThe dancer who disappears 6 Minutes, 1985 Alexia Smith A dancer and actress who goes missing after leaving Sam's bar, setting the whole mystery off[5]. Started asThe woman in the 30-second opening clip[10][1] Name from Diane's 6 Minutes write-up; this frame is identified from context.
  • Detective Rogers 6 Minutes, 1985Detective RogersThe one asking questions 6 Minutes, 1985 Detective Rogers The detective who starts asking questions about Alexia's disappearance[5]. Name from Diane's 6 Minutes write-up; this frame is identified from context.
  • The housewife Silly Me, 1950sThe housewifePlayed by Diane Silly Me, 1950s The housewife Green swing dress, white gloves, pearls and red lipstick, in a pastel-pink house[11]. Started asDiane casting herself, as she often does[1]
  • The landlord The Rent Collector, 1975The landlordEverybody pays The Rent Collector, 1975 The landlord Burgundy suit, black gloves and a ledger. He offers one pill, one memory, debt settled[15]. Seen inEpisode 1: The Good Wife[15]
  • Ty What Do I Know, 2025Ty1972 to 2020 What Do I Know, 2025 Ty Diane's late friend, the rapper Ty, redrawn as a cartoon with glasses and a tie for Artcha's track[13][1]. Started asA memorial: the video ends on his name and dates[13]
  • The alien DJ Give It to Me, 1970sThe alien DJTakes over the booth Give It to Me, 1970s The alien DJ One of the chrome aliens who infiltrate the nightclub and try to mimic its dancers[14].
  • The couple The Truth About LoveThe coupleKissing, then cussing The Truth About Love The couple Hoop earrings, a head wrap and a print shirt, drawn in her teal-and-orange Midjourney style[12][1].
  • The Keepers The Last, 2045The KeepersKeepers of paper The Last, 2045 The Keepers The archivists who hold on to paper books after knowledge has gone digital[16]. Seen inThe Last Keepers, S1 E1[16]

Time boxes

From three hours to six weeks

How long each piece took, in her words or her descriptions. Short deadlines are where she does her best work[1][38].

Silly Me (video)the day she wrote the songAbout 3 hours
Beans on ToastDirector's Cup4 hours
The Scarf RemembersDirector's Cup semi-final4 hours
WETRunway Gen:4848 hours
The Truth About Lovemusic videoAbout 2 days
The Rent Collector, Ep 1animated horror2 days
6 Minutes, first full cutbuilt in publicAbout 3 weeks
Quiet PleaseNura StudiosAbout 6 weeks

Bar lengths on a log scale, so the gap is even bigger than it looks.

Elapsed time as she or the film's description gives it, not working hours[11][1][34][35][20][15][8][18]. Quiet Please's six weeks is from her Creator Session[1].

Three ways of working

Quiet Please, 6 Minutes and Silly Me

Quiet Please2026, Nura Studios6 MinutesAug to Sep 2026Silly Me9 Sep 2026
Starting pointOne base image[1]A 30-second clip, no plan[10][5]A song written that day[1]
VideoSeedance 2.0 multi-shot, used as the image generator[1]Seedance 2.5, with Dreamina and invideo[5]Dreamina and Nano Banana[11]
SoundNo dialogue: ElevenLabs and Epidemic Sound[18]Voices, Suno music and Epidemic Sound[5][1]Her own song, built in Suno[11][1]
LengthAbout six minutes[1]About 43 minutes[1]3:19[11]
TimeAbout six weeks[1]Three weeks to a full cut[8]About three hours[1]
AudienceShowcased at Annecy 2026[18]Built live on YouTube[2]Released the same day[1]

On craft

Take your time, or take four hours

AI to me is just another medium for me to be creative.
Afro FutchaCreator Sessions #9[1]
I'm not a 90 second woman. I'm so sorry, but I like to take my time.
Afro FutchaOn the studio's 90-second brief[1]
If we can watch Game of Thrones in a weekend, you can watch Quiet Please for six minutes.
Afro FutchaCreator Sessions #9[1]
Why don't I use the video as my image generator, and I can just say cut to this scene, cut to this scene, cut to this scene.
Afro FutchaOn Quiet Please[1]
Nobody can judge an idea that's still sitting in a notebook.
Afro FutchaMaybe I Need Less Time, Not More[38]
Silence is not empty in Quiet Please. Silence represents safety.
Afro FutchaQuiet Please[18]

07Toolkit

What Diane makes it with

  • The video model behind 6 Minutes and the Silly Me shots; she started 6 Minutes because she wanted to play with it.[1][5]

  • Quiet Please: one base image, then multi-shot "cut to" prompts, screenshots and upscales.[1]

  • Where she builds a style before she needs it, like the teal-and-orange comic look of The Truth About Love.[1]

  • Silly Me, 6 Minutes and the Dreamina-sponsored Truth About Love; she is a Dreamina creative partner.[11][12][3]

  • Sunocore

    Her own songs, built track by track in Suno's DAW, plus music for 6 Minutes.[11][1]

  • Images for Silly Me, Quiet Please and xMiss.[11][18][50]

  • Editing on 6 Minutes, and the platform for her Day Job workshop and a one-day bootcamp.[5][1][28]

  • Voices and sound for 6 Minutes, Quiet Please and xMiss.[5][18][50]

  • Epidemic Sounduses

    Music and effects beds, including the sound-led Quiet Please.[18][5]

  • Showcraftuses

    Nura Studios' platform, where she made Quiet Please.[18]

  • Claudeuses

    Listed among the tools on 6 Minutes.[5]

  • Hailuouses

    Lip sync on Tough Love, motion on xMiss.[55][50]

  • Klingthen

    One of her 2024 and 2025 power tools, and movement on xMiss.[51][50]

  • Leonardothen

    An early backer, from 2023, and visuals on xMiss.[26][50]

  • PixVersethen

    In her 2025 power tools, and on Spider Spider.[51][67]

  • Udiothen

    Her second AI album, Astrofunkology Vol 1, with Logic and BandLab.[64]

  • Runwaythen

    WET was made in 48 hours for Runway's Gen:48.[20][21]

  • Movement on xMiss, with Hailuo and Kling.[50]

Core: on her recent films. Uses: regularly, for a job. Then: her 2024 and 2025 stack.

08In their own words

Diane, on the record

It's a project that started off with like 30 seconds of a clip that ultimately became 43 minutes of a film. It's the longest AI film I've ever done.
Afro FutchaOn 6 Minutes, Creator Sessions #9[1]
If I'm only given a very short time span to do something, then I automatically cut all of that out. Then it's just about working, working, working.
Afro FutchaOn deadlines, Creator Sessions #9[1]
This is taking it to the next level. We don't know what's coming next, and I don't know what's coming next.
Afro FutchaOn 6 Minutes versus Bandersnatch[1]
I tell the stories I want to hear and create visuals I actually want to see.
Afro FutchaMOI Global, Heads Up Creative #26[21]
I don't see stories of little brown boys having issues with sound or neurological issues.
Afro FutchaOn why she made Quiet Please[1]
One of the things that actually got me out of bed was Midjourney.
Afro FutchaCreator Sessions #9[1]
I don't like writing my stories with AI. That part is very important to me.
Afro FutchaMOI Global, Heads Up Creative #26[21]
I started because I made a weird 30-second clip and wanted to know what happened next.
Afro FutchaHow I Made Six Minutes[5]
Nobody can judge an idea that's still sitting in a notebook.
Afro FutchaMaybe I Need Less Time, Not More[38]
Music is my first love.
Afro FutchaSilly Me, YouTube description[11]

09On AI LIVE

Diane on AI LIVE

A Creator Session of her own, and her work reviewed live on the weekly show, from The Three Pigs to The Rent Collector.

1Creator Session
4pieces reviewed live
99average audience score out of 100, from 4 voted pieces
5 May 2026first on the show, Ep. 119

Creator Sessions

Work reviewed on the weekly show

10Press and awards

Diane in the press

11Collaborators

Who Diane works with

12Questions

Questions about Diane

Who is Afro Futcha?

Afro Futcha is the creative name of Diane Laidlaw, a British AI filmmaker, music video director and music producer based in London. She is known for 6 Minutes, a 43-minute AI mystery she built in public in about three weeks in 2026, and for films that jump between eras, from a 1950s pastel musical to an Afrofuturist 2045[1][3][4].

What is Afro Futcha's real name?

Diane Laidlaw. Her own site, her speaker profile and her BBC World Service interview all use both names[3][4][24].

What is 6 Minutes by Afro Futcha?

A roughly 43-minute AI mystery set in New York in 1985: dancer and actress Alexia Smith disappears after leaving Sam's bar, and Detective Rogers starts asking questions. It began as a 30-second Seedance 2.5 clip posted on 10 August 2026 and grew in 15 public parts[5][6][10].

How long did it take to make 6 Minutes?

About three weeks to the first full cut, posted on 31 August 2026, with a fine edit on 8 September and the final film on 23 September[8][9][6]. She posted a new part almost every morning[1].

How did Afro Futcha make 6 Minutes?

She wrote each part herself every morning, generated the shots in Seedance 2.5, used Dreamina and invideo alongside it, added voices and music, and posted by the next morning on a cliffhanger. She asked viewers one question, whether to go forward or back in time, and decided everything else herself[1][5].

What is Quiet Please?

A dialogue-free animated film she made with Nura Studios in 2026 about an autistic boy who cannot bear the noise of the school canteen, told through sound and inspired by her son. It was built from one base image in Seedance 2.0, and her site says it was showcased at Annecy in June 2026[18][1].

What styles does Afro Futcha work in?

Many, often era by era: a 1950s pastel world in Silly Me, 1970s Blaxploitation in Give It to Me, a 1975 Harlem horror comic in The Rent Collector, 1985 New York noir in 6 Minutes, a teal-and-orange comic style in The Truth About Love and Afrofuturism in The Last[11][14][15][6][12][16].

Did What Do I Know win Project Odyssey?

Her website and her speaker profile say What Do I Know won first place in the music video category at Project Odyssey, and she said on AI LIVE that it kickstarted everything. We have not found the competition's own results page[3][4][1].

Who is Ty in What Do I Know?

Ty, born Ben Chijioke, was a British rapper and Diane's close friend. He died in 2020 after contracting Covid-19. What Do I Know, a track by Artcha featuring Ty, redraws him as a cartoon and ends on a card with his name and dates[39][13][1].

What AI tools does Afro Futcha use?

On her recent films: Seedance 2.5 and 2.0 for video, Midjourney for style, Dreamina, Nano Banana, Suno for music, ElevenLabs and Epidemic Sound for sound, and invideo for editing and workshops. Earlier work used Kling, Hailuo, PixVerse, Leonardo, Krea, Udio and Runway[1][5][18][51][50].

Does Afro Futcha write her stories with AI?

No. She told MOI Global she does not like writing her stories with AI and that the writing is very important to her. She works out story, characters and beats first, then finds the look in image generators[21].

What is The Last?

Her Afrofuturist AI mockumentary series, set between 2045 and 2080, about what humanity loses to technology. Season one runs Keepers, Receptors, Lovers, Walkers, Birth and Death, and season two opened with The First Student in June 2025. It is coming to Fairground AI Creator TV[16][17][2].

What is The Rent Collector?

A six-part animated psychological horror anthology set in Harlem in 1975. Episode 1, The Good Wife, came out on 23 October 2026: a tenant behind on rent is offered one pill, one memory, debt settled. She made it in two days[15][33].

Does Afro Futcha teach AI filmmaking?

Yes. Her site says she has taught AI since 2022. She has a free one-hour Learn AI Animation workshop on YouTube, runs workshops and bootcamps, including with invideo, and has taught with Curious Refuge and Machine Cinema[3][42][28].

Where can I watch Afro Futcha's films and hear her music?

Her films and music videos are free on YouTube at youtube.com/@afrofutcha. Her albums, including AiDL, are on Bandcamp, and Quiet Please is on her website[2][46][18].

13Sources

Sources

Every fact on this page links to one of these. Awards listed only on her own site are marked as self-reported. View counts and subscribers are refreshed weekly from YouTube.

  1. 143 Minutes in Three Weeks: Afro Futcha on Building an AI Film in PublicAI LIVE Creator Sessions #9 · 23 September 2026 · theailiveshow.com
  2. 2Afro Futcha (@afrofutcha): channel page and view counts of all 98 public uploadsYouTube, fetched 28 October 2026 · 28 October 2026 · youtube.com
  3. 3About Afro Futchaafrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  4. 4Diane Laidlaw: AI SpeakerCWG Speakers · cwgspeakers.com
  5. 5How I Made Six Minutes, My First Fully AI-Generated Feature Filmafrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  6. 66 Minutes (final film)YouTube (Afro Futcha) · 23 September 2026 · youtube.com
  7. 76 Minutes: Full Episodes 11 (Full Film in Description)YouTube (Afro Futcha) · 22 August 2026 · youtube.com
  8. 86 Minutes: Full Show (1st Draft)YouTube (Afro Futcha) · 31 August 2026 · youtube.com
  9. 96 Minutes: Fine EditYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 8 September 2026 · youtube.com
  10. 106 Minutes: Scene 1YouTube (Afro Futcha) · 10 August 2026 · youtube.com
  11. 11Silly Me Music VideoYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 9 September 2026 · youtube.com
  12. 12Truth About Love: Soul In The Horn, music videoYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 3 August 2026 · youtube.com
  13. 13What Do I Know: Artcha ft Ty, AI music videoYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 16 January 2025 · youtube.com
  14. 14Give It to Me: AI music videoYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 22 January 2025 · youtube.com
  15. 15The Rent Collector: The Good Wife, Episode 1YouTube (Afro Futcha) · 23 October 2026 · youtube.com
  16. 16The Last Keepers: A.I. Documentary, S1 E1YouTube (Afro Futcha) · 1 February 2025 · youtube.com
  17. 17The Last is coming to TV with Fairground AI Creator TVafrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  18. 18Quiet Pleaseafrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  19. 19Warm Coat: AI short filmYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 7 January 2025 · youtube.com
  20. 20WETYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 26 August 2025 · youtube.com
  21. 21Heads Up Creative #26, the Film issue: MOI Scoop interviewMOI Global · January 2026 · creative.moi-global.com
  22. 22Front page on Digital Frontierafrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  23. 23Afro Futcha, Visioni Artificiali (Gloria Maria Cappelletti)d la Repubblica · 16 December 2025 · d.repubblica.it
  24. 24Interview with BBC World Service Radio: Afro Futcha (Diane Laidlaw), John Gaeta and Simon RajalaYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 8 October 2025 · youtube.com
  25. 252026's Power List: Top 50 Women AI FilmmakersLeonardo.ai · March 2026 · leonardo.ai
  26. 26Recognised by Leonardo AIafrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  27. 27Selected for Africa AI Creativity Week and Awards 2026afrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  28. 28Eventsafrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  29. 29Hosting the first TEDAI AI filmmaking competitionafrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  30. 30AI LIVE Episode 119: The Dor Brothers Watched This at Cannes and Hired the Director ImmediatelyAI LIVE · 5 May 2026 · theailiveshow.com
  31. 31AI LIVE Episode 126: Is Hollywood Finally Embracing AI?AI LIVE · 21 July 2026 · theailiveshow.com
  32. 32AI LIVE Episode 128: He Made a Film About Running From His MumAI LIVE · 11 August 2026 · theailiveshow.com
  33. 33AI LIVE Episode 136: AI Worth WatchingAI LIVE · 27 October 2026 · theailiveshow.com
  34. 34Beans on Toast: A short history of Beans on ToastYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 13 July 2026 · youtube.com
  35. 35The Scarf RemembersYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 21 July 2026 · youtube.com
  36. 36The StarsYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 14 May 2026 · youtube.com
  37. 37The Stars is at the AIMAafrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  38. 38Maybe I Need Less Time, Not Moreafrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  39. 39Ty (rapper)Wikipedia · en.wikipedia.org
  40. 40AI Creator Showcase trailer (Bionic Awards, Rich Mix)YouTube (Afro Futcha) · 25 November 2025 · youtube.com
  41. 411 hour of Afro Futcha: AI House DavosYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 23 January 2026 · youtube.com
  42. 42Learn AI Animation: free one-hour workshopYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 2 March 2025 · youtube.com
  43. 43Afro Futcha: Showreel 2025YouTube (Afro Futcha) · 29 December 2025 · youtube.com
  44. 44Adore You: AI music videoYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 8 November 2024 · youtube.com
  45. 45AiDL: full jazz AI albumYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 24 December 2024 · youtube.com
  46. 46Afro Futcha on Bandcamp (artist location London, UK)Bandcamp · afrofutcha.bandcamp.com
  47. 47Celebrating Black AI filmmaking during 24 Hours of Black Futuresafrofutcha.com (her own site) · 19 June 2026 · afrofutcha.com
  48. 48London Data Week workshopafrofutcha.com (her own site) · 8 July 2026 · afrofutcha.com
  49. 49The Three Pigs (preview), uploaded as The Tree Pigs: HorrorYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 14 April 2026 · youtube.com
  50. 50xMiss: short filmYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 20 December 2025 · youtube.com
  51. 51Nov to Jan 2025 A.I. ShowreelYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 18 January 2025 · youtube.com
  52. 52UN AI for Good webinar: Stories That Matter, creating with AI video with PixVerseafrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  53. 53The Last Birth: A.I. Documentary, S1 E5YouTube (Afro Futcha) · 15 March 2025 · youtube.com
  54. 54The First Student: AI Documentary, S2 E1YouTube (Afro Futcha) · 26 June 2025 · youtube.com
  55. 55Tough LoveYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 3 August 2026 · youtube.com
  56. 566 Minutes: BloopersYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 2 September 2026 · youtube.com
  57. 57Live On: Soul In The Horn featuring Bilal, Afro Futcha visualiserYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 13 January 2026 · youtube.com
  58. 58The Traits: Neurodiversity WeekYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 23 March 2026 · youtube.com
  59. 59Interview on We The Film3afrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  60. 60The Clean Up: an AI short horror filmYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 31 July 2025 · youtube.com
  61. 61Fully Focused on Filmafrofutcha.com (her own site) · afrofutcha.com
  62. 62London Home Crisis: London Data WeekYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 9 July 2026 · youtube.com
  63. 63AI Generated Movie Trailer: FramesYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 23 April 2023 · youtube.com
  64. 64ASTROFUNKOLOGY Vol 1: full jazz A.I albumYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 5 July 2025 · youtube.com
  65. 65Mercury Retrograde: music videoYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 11 November 2025 · youtube.com
  66. 66BED: music videoYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 15 October 2025 · youtube.com
  67. 67Spider SpiderYouTube (Afro Futcha) · 1 September 2025 · youtube.com
  68. 68The Last Death: A.I. Documentary, S1 E6YouTube (Afro Futcha) · 25 June 2025 · youtube.com
  69. 69GenTalks with Bianca Pryor and Afro FutchaMachine Cinema (Luma) · luma.com
  70. 70Afro Futcha: every upload on YouTube, Shorts and live streams includedYouTube · 29 October 2026 · youtube.com