THE FEBRUARY 22 2026 FILM FESTIVAL
HOLLYWOOD, CA —In a creative landscape shadowed by doubt, imitation, and digital perfection, the AI International Film Festival continues to point the way.
On Sunday, February 22, the festival will stage two festivals back-to-back at the Los Feliz Theatre, 1822 N. Vermont Ave. Both the AI International Film Festival and the AI International Music Video Festival.
These are the Filmmakers of Tomorrow. "Like an Academy Awards but for AI-related Films, now monthly." -R. Maggi, director, writer, actor
“It’s a faster and rapidly expanding world,” said festival founder Bert Holland, “but speed doesn’t trump meaning. These filmmakers prove that the most advanced technology on earth is still the human, and the human has a message.”
“A Day in Nevada ” - Andrei Madalin Sava - Romania - 2025 - 7 min
This is a genuinely hilarious and confident short. The writing is sharp, the story is well-structured, and the pacing never drags. What begins as a seemingly aimless journey becomes a playful, fractured adventure with clear rhythm and purpose. The characters are charming and memorable, the cinematography is more than sufficient to support the tone, and the humor lands naturally without forcing itself. The outtakes are an added delight, reinforcing the film’s self-awareness and personality. A great example of storytelling that knows exactly what it is and fully commits to it.
A witty, well-paced short with strong writing, clear structure, and charming characters. The humor is effortless, the journey engaging, and the outtakes are a joyful bonus. A confident and highly entertaining film.
“Model Professor” - Peter Brinson - United States - 2025 - 10 min
Model Professor presents a thoughtful and surprisingly balanced exploration of artificial intelligence within an academic setting. The premise is clear and effective: an AI integrated as a “neutral” presence gradually reveals the limits of knowledge when stripped of human desire, doubt, and contradiction. The film succeeds in reframing common AI anxieties, not through fear, but through reflection. The ending lands well, suggesting that total knowledge without longing, ambiguity, or subjective hunger is ultimately insufficient.
Visually, the representation of Evie’s internal “computer world” is imaginative but speculative, raising an interesting question the film leaves open: can humans ever truly visualize or understand an AI’s internal processes, or are these images simply projections of our own metaphors? While the visual language may not claim truth, it functions effectively as a human attempt to narrativize the unknowable.
Overall, the film is engaging, intelligent, and quietly provocative, offering more questions than warnings, which works in its favor.
“Fear Naught ” - Matt Subieta - Poland - 2026 - 5 min
Fear Naught delivers a compact and unsettling portrait of fear, obedience, and the absurdity of military logic. By blending historical context with dark humor and mockumentary framing, the film exposes the cruelty of forcing courage where none can organically exist. The tragic arc of the young recruit lands sharply, not as a tale of redemption, but as an indictment of a system that mistakes fearlessness for virtue and sacrifice for meaning.
Formally, the film is precise and effective. The dust-choked visuals and restricted visibility heighten tension without excess, reinforcing the confusion and futility of battle. Performances are strong, the pacing is tight, and the character consistency holds throughout. Nothing feels wasted. The mockumentary structure works in the film’s favor, allowing irony and tragedy to coexist without undermining either. As a short, Fear Naught is confident, efficient, and emotionally clear in its refusal to offer comfort where none belongs.
“Nashville Payphone” - Michael Eng - United States - 2025 - 9 min
Nashville Payphone uses a modest premise to quietly capture something deeply human: how moments of connection, longing, and decision echo forward in time. By anchoring the story to a single, unmoving object, the film allows lives to pass through naturally, revealing motivations, hopes, and regrets without explanation or judgment. It feels honest in its observation of change as something inevitable and continuous, rather than dramatic or sentimental.
The time-lapse elements do much of the storytelling, gently sketching the evolution of place, community, and emotional landscape, particularly within an American context shaped by constant transition. The limited world-building becomes a strength, focusing attention on intimacy rather than scale. What lingers is not spectacle, but recognition, a quiet understanding of how people move on, dream on, and leave traces behind.
“A Nest in My Heart ” - Mira Kim - South Korea - 2026 - 12 min
A Nest in My Heart is a quietly powerful piece of storytelling that uses memory as an emotional architecture rather than a factual record. The transition between present-day prosperity and a childhood shaped by scarcity is handled with sensitivity, allowing the past to surface organically through sensation rather than exposition.
From a craft perspective, the film is impressively cohesive. Performances are grounded and emotionally precise, character consistency is strong, and the AI-assisted visual language aligns well with the director’s intention to depict memory as fragmented yet emotionally exact. The shifts between realism and gentle fantasy feel purposeful rather than decorative, supporting the film’s reflective tone. This is a work made with care and feeling, one that honors personal history while inviting broader identification, and it demonstrates how AI can meaningfully collaborate in translating inner life into cinema.
“TAKE ME. WANT ME.” - Phillip Large - United States - 2025 - 5 min
TAKE ME. WANT ME. operates less as a narrative and more as a sustained emotional state, and that choice works decisively in its favor. The piece feels embodied rather than illustrative, pulling the viewer into a hypnotic, half-conscious rhythm where image, sound, and movement breathe together. There is a clear sense of intention and control, and the video invites immersion without explanation, trusting mood and repetition to carry meaning.
From a craft perspective, the curation of imagery is precise and musically intelligent, each visual choice supporting the song’s pulse rather than competing with it. AI is used fluently as an expressive instrument, enabling dream logic and fluid transitions that feel organic rather than gimmicky. The result has soul, rhythm, and physicality, it holds the viewer in its atmosphere and leaves space for bodily response as much as emotional or intellectual engagement, a strong and confident execution of the form.
“The Elimination of Franz Kutschera ” - Matt Subieta - Poland - 2025 - 5 min
The Elimination of Franz Kutschera draws its strength from being inspired by real historical events, grounding the film in a weight that is immediately felt. The narrative unfolds with clarity and purpose, allowing the tension of the assassination to build naturally while honoring the gravity of resistance under occupation. The historical reference is not used as spectacle but as an anchor, giving the film moral and emotional legitimacy without drifting into didacticism.
From a craft perspective, this is a highly accomplished hybrid production. The visual language is consistent, the pacing disciplined, and the structure precise, with narration, action, and performance moving in confident alignment. AI is used not as a shortcut, but as a collaborative tool to reimagine history, extending the reach of limited resources while preserving human presence at every level, from acting to choreography. The result is a top-tier execution where writing, action scenes, and performances feel fully integrated and cinematic, demonstrating how AI can support historical storytelling rather than dilute it.
“Costa Verde ” - Léo Cannone - 2025 - 12 min
Costa Verde unfolds quietly, almost deceptively, asking for patience before revealing its emotional core. What initially appears modest or even amateur gradually opens into something genuinely magnetic, a film built on sensation rather than plot, memory rather than event. Once it settles, it taps into a shared, almost forgotten emotional register, the heat, stillness, and suspended time of childhood summers, allowing imagination to do the heavy lifting with remarkable grace.
From a craft perspective, the “perfectly imperfect” execution becomes the film’s greatest strength. The child’s camcorder gaze, the softness of the imagery, and the restrained use of AI feel deeply intentional, serving memory as reconstruction rather than spectacle. AI here functions as an act of preservation, not innovation for its own sake, and that sincerity is felt. The film leaves behind a gentle afterimage of nostalgia, recalling the small, private memories we carry quietly and rarely see reflected on screen.
"Mutt ” - Joseph Kerwin Aguirre Go - Philippines - 2025 - 6 min
Mutt is a genuinely heartwarming piece that understands the emotional power of simplicity and perspective. Telling the story largely through the dog’s eyes brings an immediate intimacy and warmth, allowing moments of playfulness and tenderness to coexist naturally with the gravity of war. The result feels sincere and grounded, carrying a quiet emotional weight that lingers rather than announces itself.
From a craft standpoint, the film is impressively cohesive, with strong cinematography, thoughtful structure, and sound design that supports rather than competes with the narrative. Dialogue and performances are well judged, and the hybrid use of AI feels purposeful rather than decorative, serving the story instead of distracting from it. The film has a clear soul, and that clarity of intention elevates it well beyond novelty into something genuinely affecting.