AI short film shows 'Lionara' under zombie attack with National Day Parade as backdrop

Edenstone, a Singapore-based studio developing scalable media intellectual property (IP), is set to release an AI-assisted short film that it acknowledges will likely polarise audiences.

Titled Bersama Majulah (translated as Together Onwards), the National Day-themed AI short film imagines a country similar to Singapore under siege by a lethal spore pathogen outbreak.

Edenstone said in a media release:

"The characters' struggle against an oncoming crisis in the form of a deadly pathogenic spore outbreak mirrors the qualities that have defined Singapore's 61 year journey—adaptability, collective strength, and the determination to overcome obstacles, united as one people; one Singapore."

The project is led by 2025 Golden Horse Award–winning producer Chan Gin Kai, who served as its Executive Producer, said the studio.

The film is adapted from the studio's flagship IP, Spore Fall, which it describes as Southeast Asia's "first human-written, AI-realised transmedia franchise".

The short film's release on sporefall.com will coincide with National Day on Aug. 9, The Straits Times reported.

The teaser trailer

The four-minute teaser trailer for Bersama Majulah opens with a fictional depiction of Singapore's 2026 National Day Parade.

The outbreak first takes hold there, turning people into what appears to be zombies.

"Some have asked why we would show a dystopian Singapore on National Day," said Joel Boh, creator and showrunner of Spore Fall.

He added:

"We believe this is the ultimate act of faith. We have faith that the Singapore identity is not fragile—it is strong enough to be reimagined and reinvented. In the face of existential threat, the singular Singapore narrative is about choosing unity over fear. This is our story.”

Expecting online discourse

The studio acknowledged that its "creative choices", such as transforming Singapore into the fictional city of "Lionara", were likely to polarise viewers.

They are also aware that the film’s teaser video has started to ignite public debate, viewing it "as a sign of cultural impact".

The studio said:

"This National Day, Singaporeans will see their skyline like never before—and the conversation may be just as striking as the visuals."

Conversations online

The Bersama Majulah trailer has sparked some conversation.

Some comments focused on the production process and use of AI.

Others drew negative comparisons between existing works like "The Last of Us".

Studio's response

In response to Mothership's queries about criticism of its use of AI, Boh said that despite the negative comments, audiences are "staying through the entire journey".

"They're watching till the end, just to leave a negative comment.”

Boh said that this “suggests something deeper”.

“Audiences are hungry for connection, but they can't quite get past the fact that the content is AI-generated. They feel strongly enough to finish engaging, only to push back on the medium. It's an interesting data point, and one we're paying close attention to."

Boh also said the studio was aware of the fatigue surrounding "AI slop", but said this was not what Edenstone produced.

According to Boh, Edenstone's model is "fully human-conceptualised", with AI intended to assist rather than drive the creative process:

"AI only handles the execution layer—environments, visual effects, and production scaling. We call it human-written, AI-realised—and that distinction is everything."

Boh added that the creative process for Spore Fall began as a novel in early 2025, and that it was only when AI tools “matured” enough that they pivoted to a “micro-drama series” as they felt “traditional publishing was too slow and offered no guarantees”.