The Building

The Building's plot explores ethical and personal issues raised by humanity's increased dependence on technology. At the centre of the story is Caleb, a company CEO who comes to rely on the office manager AI that runs his building, for both personal and work advice.

This short raises questions like:

• Who actually has control in the relationship?
• Does the AI have a more developed moral sense than the man it serves?

The Building's lead actor is Mo Sesay, an influential figure in the worlds of British film and TV. Sesay starred in the first film directed by a black gay director in the UK, Young Soul Rebels (1991), and appeared in Bhaji on the Beach (1993), the first feature film directed by an Asian woman in the UK.

The creation of The Building short film was supported by Ravensbourne as a Knowledge Exchange initiative. This involved drawing together university staff, students, and recent graduates to collaboratively bring the project to life.

Dr Nava said of working on this film: "I found it really rewarding collaborating with students, outside professionals, and my fellow staff members on a creative project."

Filming took place inside our state-of-the-art Institute for Creativity and Technology (ICT) building. Dr Nava said this building's striking, science-fiction style interiors were a direct inspiration when writing the film’s script.

Dr Nava was thrilled that Ravensbourne's students could take part in this opportunity and highlighted that close links with industry and providing opportunities to work on real-world projects are a core part of the Ravensbourne offering.

Start date to Completion date: 1 January 2023 to 1 January 2025.
Funding streams: Internal Ravensbourne Knowledge Exchange funds.

Delivery Team

• Orson Nava
• Alex Boutellier
• Miki Carusso
• Caroline Orme