China Film Foundation is launching a massive AI project to restore 100 classic kung fu films and releasing “A Better Tomorrow: Cyber Border,” touted as the world’s first fully AI-produced animated feature.
The effort was announced at the 27th Shanghai International Film Festival under the Kung Fu Film Heritage Project. The restoration will use AI to enhance video, sound, and production quality while keeping the originals’ style intact.
The first phase will prioritize 10 films like “Fist of Fury,” “Drunken Master,” and “Once Upon a Time in China.” A budget of RMB100 million (~$13.9M) backs the project. 
Tian Ming, Canxing Media’s chair, stressed the cultural value and invited global partners to join.
“AI is the brush, but creativity is the soul,” Tian Ming said.
“Classic kung fu films embody China’s spiritual backbone. We’re inviting global partners to join this cultural and technological reboot.”
“A Better Tomorrow: Cyber Border” is a cyberpunk remake of John Woo’s classic crime film. Quantum Animation used an AI pipeline for scripting, modeling, animation, and rendering.
Only 30 people worked on it, and the production time shrank from years to months.
Producer Zhang Qing commented:
“This entire animated feature was made by just 30 people,”
“AI has collapsed the barrier between creativity and execution. The production cycle has gone from years to months.”
China is pushing AI in film production with new policies like the 2023 Interim Measures for Generative AI and 2025 rules for labeling AI content. He Tao from the National Radio and Television Administration called AI a new infrastructure transforming scripts, effects, dubbing, and distribution.
New AI research hubs in Shanghai and other cities will train talent and speed up production. Visual effects processing dropped from over 400 days to 24 hours in Guizhou’s render farms.
Veterans like Yu Rongguang and Zhang Tan were honored at the launch.
Producer Yuan Hong said:
“I’ve spent 40 years doing nothing but kung fu films,”
“If I have any strength left, I’ll dedicate it to this plan.”
Zhang Tan added:
“Kung fu films are about growth, spirit, and dignity. With AI, we’re not erasing the past— we’re giving it a second wind.”
