Diane von Furstenberg- photo by Ruben Natal-San Miguel
By RUBEN NATAL-SAN MIGUEL November 18th, 2025
This is a great documentary directed by Victoria Bousis, which employs the use of AI in a brilliant, constructive, and humane manner. I have always been very skeptical about Artificial Intelligence technology—until I saw this magnificent and deeply touching film. I’m hoping it goes all the way to the Oscars, gets a nomination, and hopefully a win!
Highly recommended for you to see!
Director Victoria Bousis with Diane von Furstenberg. Photo by Olga Samofalova.
A private screening and discussion of the Oscar®-qualifying short documentary Darkness to Light: When Technology Heals Generations was hosted by global fashion icon and philanthropist Diane von Furstenberg at Soho House New York. The event celebrated visionary filmmaker and technologist Victoria Bousis and Executive Producer Elodie Yung.
Written, directed, and produced by Victoria Bousis—a Greek-American filmmaker and AI expert—and executive produced by Elodie Yung (CAA), the film follows Bousis’s journey to Cambodia on the 50th anniversary of the Cambodian genocide. Using virtual reality, she helps young Cambodians rediscover their history and heal generational trauma, demonstrating how technology can bring light, connection, and hope.
Darkness to Light has officially qualified for the 2025 Academy Awards® in the Documentary Short category and continues to receive critical acclaim. Bousis, a recipient of a United Nations Association Humanitarian Award and a Commendation from the City of Los Angeles, is also nominated for the 2025 BAFTA Games Awards for her interactive VR and PC project Stay Alive My Son: A True Story About a Father’s Search for His Son, based on the acclaimed memoir by Pin Yathay.
Director of Darkness to Light, Victoria Bousis. Photo by Olga Samofalova
Diane von Furstenberg and director Victoria Bousis in conversation before documentary preview .
“Darkness to Light shows how innovation can serve humanity and open our hearts to kindness. Experiencing Stay Alive My Son was unlike anything I’ve ever known. Its realism and emotion touched me deeply, connecting me to my mother’s survival of the Holocaust. Victoria proves that technology can heal.”