Terra X History: Roadtrip 1945, a ZDF production by Doclights, demonstrates how AI-powered visual effects can unlock new forms of nonfiction storytelling by making the unfilmable visible. Faced with the challenge of reconstructing historical journeys and perspectives for which little to no visual material exists, the team developed a narrative approach that combines documentary rigor with image generation and VFX workflows.

In this session, the creative and technical teams behind the project provide an in-depth look at how these tools were applied in practice: from early conceptual decisions and ethical considerations to the integration of AI-generated imagery within a factual narrative framework. The team from Paul's Boutique offers further insight into the cutting-edge workflows that made the project possible, detailing how AI tools are incorporated into existing pipelines and how collaboration between creatives and technical departments is shifting.

The panel discussion will be followed by a keynote address by Felix von Rautenberg, producer at Doclights. Doclights is a leading German production company for high-end factual content, developing and producing documentaries, series, and factual entertainment for broadcasters and streamers. As part of its innovation efforts, the company explores the use of AI to support research, development, and production workflows in nonfiction storytelling.

The session explores where AI-supported tools can assist documentary workflows and where editorial oversight remains essential. Using concrete production examples, Doclights discusses how research, visualisation, archive work, and post-production processes are beginning to change through the integration of new technologies within factual storytelling.