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98 percent of all deepfakes online are porn. In 99 percent of cases, women are the victims. Meanwhile, all it takes for deepfake porn is a good photo. With these facts we are released from the documentary “Nightmare Deepfake Porn” (2023, more symbolically: “Another Body”) by Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn.
It shows the bitter journey of 23-year-old US engineering student Taylor Klein, who finds out that such videos of her can be found on the Internet. Accessible to everyone, at any time.
Collien Fernandes’ publicly expressed allegations have only made the threat of deepfake videos even more present. The actress accuses her ex-husband Christian Ulmen of creating fake profiles of her in order to then give other men deepfake porn pictures of her. Telephone sex with an AI voice is also said to have been present in the episode. So far there has been no reaction from Ulmen; the presumption of innocence applies.
Fernandes has been trying to present the topic in all its complexity for years, partly out of his own concern, and some time ago with a ZDF documentary. She is also concerned with changes to the law that make criminal prosecution possible.
The film by Compton/Hamlyn also urgently shows what it really means for a young person to become a victim of digital sexual violence. In the documentary, Klein meets numerous other women who have experienced similar things. The pattern is almost always the same. The police in particular seem powerless. The women remain alone with their pain and feel exposed every day to strangers.
Deepfake porn can be created in minutes
Taylor documents her journey through video diaries as she attempts to locate the perpetrator and seek legal help. The filmmakers use a surprising technical process that is only revealed at the end of the documentary. At the same time, you will learn how easy it is to produce deepfake porn like this and why new AI processes basically no longer require any know-how. There may be other bodies naked there, but there is also the real face, a name, even an address.
The film also reveals a disturbing online subculture in which women are systematically dehumanized by this technology. Hardly any perpetrator is on his own; it is rarely about satisfying his own desires, but often about power and even more often about revenge on ex-girlfriends.
At the same time, “Nightmare Deepfake Porn” also asks questions about the damage to identity that such acts cause in the victims – a shame-filled process that can have serious consequences, especially for young people who are still searching for themselves.
“Nightmare Deepfake Porn” is available until May 7, 2026 Arte media library to see.
