Ukrainian AI ‘Respeecher’ Brings Voice Magic to Films ‘The Brutalist’ and ‘Emilia Pérez’

Ukrainian-developed AI technology played a significant role in the post-production of The Brutalist and Emilia Pérez according to Red Shark News on January 11.

Respeecher, an advanced voice cloning tool, was used in The Brutalist to refine Hungarian dialogue for lead actors Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones, ensuring linguistic precision. In Emilia Pérez, the AI was employed to enhance Karla Sofía Gascón’s singing voice, blending it seamlessly with that of French pop star Camille.

Founded in 2018 by Alex Serdiuk, Dmytro Bielievtsov, and Grant Reaber, Respeecher has quickly gained recognition in the entertainment industry. The company has collaborated with over 300 clients, including Netflix, Sony, and Warner Bros.

Respeecher is particularly known for its work with Lucasfilm, where it “cloned” the late James Earl Jones’s voice for future Darth Vader projects and created a younger version of Mark Hamill’s voice for The Mandalorian. Beyond Hollywood, Respeecher’s technology has applications in medical fields, such as restoring voices for laryngectomy patients.

The Brutalist, directed by Brady Corbet, is a period drama following Hungarian refugees László Tóth, played by Adrien Brody, and his wife Erzsébet, portrayed by Felicity Jones, as they emigrate to the US after World War II.

Editor Dávid Jancsó, a native Hungarian speaker, noted that although Brody’s mother was a Hungarian émigré, attempts at “coaching” and re-recording through ADR (automated dialogue replacement) with both the original actors and stand-ins “just didn’t work.”

The director of the film Brady Corbet explained the process more in depth: “This was a manual process, done by our sound team and Respeecher in post-production. The aim was to preserve the authenticity of Adrien and Felicity’s performances in another language, not to replace or alter them and done with the utmost respect for the craft.”

Recently, a film by a Ukrainian director has been selected for the main competition of the Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) for the first time in 25 years. Kateryna Gornostai’s documentary feature Timestamp will compete for the Golden Bear.