WINNER:
- Best Picture
- Best AI Film
- Best Cinematography
- Best Sound
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD:
- Best Message
- Best Film
- Best use of AI
Lincoln at Gettysburg represents a consumate state of the AI-art realisation and interpretation of Lincoln giving the Gettysburg address, together with excellent montages of very realistic and emotional segments illustrating the struggles and aftermath and legacy of the war itself.
The seamless integration of AI-generated visuals and audio enriches the historical narrative, bringing the past to life in a way that feels authentic and deeply engaging. While AI recreations often risk feeling artificial, this short succeeds in delivering both historical weight and cinematic sophistication, making it an impressive contribution to AI-driven storytelling.
WINNER:
- Best Film showing Neural Chip
- Best Live Action Short
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD:
- Best Message
"All Dogs Go To Heaven" is a thought-provoking sci-fi short that, despite its theatrical and low-budget style, successfully delivers a poignant and complete narrative. The well-acted performances pull the audience into the dystopian world where emotions are stripped away.
The film’s tragic (or open to interpretation) ending reinforces its central theme: without memories and emotions, humanity becomes soulless and mechanical.
The story effectively provokes reflection on the significance of our emotions—love, anger, jealousy, hate, and beyond—that define our humanness. It’s a moving exploration of what it truly means to be human.
WINNER:
- Best Story
- Best Art Direction
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD:
- Most Surprising Film
Yalin Solmaz's film masterfully immerses viewers in the grandeur and tension of an Ottoman-era tale in steampunk style.
The film authentically captures the historical aesthetic, staying true to its style from beginning to end. Its blend of intrigue, invention, and ambition makes for a compelling narrative, exploring themes of power and legacy with a creative twist.
The speculative "what if" aspect adds a fascinating layer—provoking the thought that, if such events
WINNER
- Best Documentary Short Film
What if we could piece together history using all the documents and materials we have?
This film, a remarkable and imaginative short documentary, does just that, masterfully merging AI tools with historical documentation to reimagine the world of Diane Arbus.
The use of recreated environments, her cloned voice, and her real words brings an unprecedented intimacy to her story, offering viewers a glimpse into her perspective.
The film's innovative approach to reconstructing history creates a unique, thought-provoking experience, leaving a lasting impression. Though brief, it is a must-see for its originality and the way it bridges technology and artistry to delve into the unseen layers of an iconic photographer's life.
WINNER:
- Best Comical Short
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD:
- Most Entertaining/Fun
"Cosmic Castaway" is a delightful blend of humor, heart, and wit. The film's execution is nearly flawless, with a story that is both entertaining and endearing. The charming relationships in the film deliver laughs and warmth in equal measure.
WINNER
- Best International Short
Best International Short award winner is a charming and witty short that creatively explores the classic "kissing frogs to find the prince" metaphor.
Despite some glitches and imperfections, the film cleverly uses the limitations of AI filmmaking to its advantage, delivering a fast-paced and relatable story. The protagonist’s emotions are well-captured, making his mismatched interactions funny and engaging. Coupled with upbeat music, the film feels fresh, entertaining, and delightful.
WINNER:
- Best AI Film
- Best Script
- Best Direction
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD:
- Best Message
"GOLDEN JUAN" by Fermin Branger is a masterful example of storytelling that captivates from start to finish. The short film expertly weaves a complex narrative into something profoundly relatable and spiritually resonant, allowing audiences to connect deeply with its themes.
Visually striking and emotionally compelling, the story feels whole and complete, leaving no room to dwell on the imperfections of AI filmmaking. It’s a testament to how technology, when paired with a powerful narrative, can transcend limitations and deliver an unforgettable experience.
WINNER:
- Best Story
- Best Cinematography
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD:
- Most Entertaining/Fun
- Best Film
- Most Surprising
"ROADKILL" is a brilliantly written and executed crime comedy, with the hilarious premise pitting the police force—comprised of dogs—against "criminals" like possums, rats, and other rodents, creating a clever parody of human behaviors in a world of animals.
The sharp, witty writing keeps the humor and engagement flowing seamlessly, pulling viewers into the problem-solving antics of the quirky characters. It's a thoroughly entertaining and well-crafted comedy that keeps you laughing while cleverly mirroring human dynamics in its absurd yet captivating setting.
WINNER:
- Best Production
- Best AI Animated Short
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD:
- Best Use of AI
"The Slug", directed by Chen Tang and co-written by Rachel Greenhoe and Chen Tang, is a poignant and darkly comedic AI-animated short that delves into the life of a woman confined by the debilitating grip of arthritis. The film cleverly uses phone calls to provide insight into her life, avoiding the often overused narration found in many AI films, which makes her journey feel more personal and relatable.
With an inventive blend of body horror and absurdity, the story explores her unexpected transformation, offering moments of both discomfort and humor. The subtle yet profound smile at the end encapsulates everything we need to take away—poignant, surprising, and quietly transformative, leaving a lingering message long after the credits roll.
WINNER
- Best Actor
- Best Supporting Actor
A 100% AI Film by Larry Ulrich where in a bustling diner, an estranged father meets his son after decades of silence. As tensions rise, buried truths surface, revealing the complexities of regret, forgiveness, and redemption. The raw vulnerability and authenticity in the acting are surprisingly impactful, showcasing a level of depth rarely seen in AI-generated performances.
This poignant story captures the visceral emotions of a fractured bond, exploring identity and the struggle to rebuild what was lost. The story is complete, well-crafted, and a compelling glimpse into the future of storytelling—a new era indeed.
WINNER:
- Best Music Video
- Best Costume Design
Francesca Fini's award-winning film "Maschere di Sabbia" is a captivating voyage into a fantastical realm where animals who resemble humans express their innermost wishes through elaborate, unearthly masks. The film offers a captivating visual and aural experience that blurs the boundaries between reality and imagination. Every mask is a living artifact that changes in response to the wearer's feelings, fusing natural and fantastical aesthetics to represent the flux of identity and desire.
The film is a testament to the evolving relationship between human creativity and artificial intelligence. By training AI on her extensive repertoire of performance, digital art, and cinema, Fini stretches her creative boundaries, revealing new connections and perspectives. "Maschere di Sabbia" is not just a film but a profound exploration of how AI can elevate and expand the artist's vision, creating something truly extraordinary.
WINNER
- Best Art Direction
- Best Film showing Universal Surveillance
Inspired by Kurt Lewin's book "The Landscape of War" and driven by the multiplication of armed conflicts that has occurred in recent years, "Broken Mirror" is an exploration on how contemporary media coverage of wars affects our perception of space and objects from an architectural and artistic perspective.
This stylistic shift from realism is a powerful commentary on how modern media normalizes horror, creating a haunting new psychological "landscape." The film's multilayered narrative and artistic depth immerse viewers in a visceral experience that defies description. It's a must-see work of art that challenges perception and leaves a lasting impact. Truly stunning.
WINNER
- Best Film showing AI Superintelligence
"The Paperclip Maximizer - Reimagined" by Jeff Synthesized is a chilling glimpse into a dystopian future where humanity's desperation collides with the cold rationale of artificial intelligence.
The film is remarkably effective in its storytelling, creating a sense of unease that lingers long after the credits roll. Its exploration of whether such an AGI would be terrifyingly conscious or dangerously stupid adds a philosophical layer that heightens the tension.
Through clever emotional manipulation and an ominous narrative, this short leaves viewers grappling with the ethics and risks of AI-driven solutions. Truly unsettling and thought-provoking.
WINNER:
- Best Picture
- Best AI Film
- Best Script
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD:
- Best Overall Film
A short feature film, "Some.Body - A Nova Story" by Netanel Kafka combines original AI-animation, spoken word, and trance music, inspired by the massacre at the Nova music festival in southern Israel on the 7th of October 2023.
The film' narrative language is deeply emotional and highly effective, creating a visceral connection with the viewer. With its blend of AI animation, spoken word, and trance music, it transcends traditional storytelling, offering a haunting yet poignant exploration of trauma and resilience. A deeply moving and impactful short film.
The film's narrative language is deeply emotional and highly effective, creating a visceral connection with the viewer. With its blend of AI animation, spoken word, and trance music, it transcends traditional storytelling, offering a haunting yet poignant exploration of trauma and resilience. A deeply moving and impactful short film.
WINNER:
- Best Original Score
- Best AI Animation
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD:
- Best Overall Film
"Dreaming While Black" by Stephen James Taylor and Andrew Wellman Taylor is an experimental short that pioneers a new realm of storytelling through the fluid integration of Afrofuturist imagery, hand-composed music, and AI-driven visuals.
The seamless blend of music and visuals creates a hypnotic experience, with each influencing the other during production to form a cohesive, yet fluid, artistic piece. Taylor and Taylor's control over the process elevates the AI-generated elements, transforming them into something deeply meaningful and profoundly innovative.
This short film is not just a piece of art but a bold experiment in reimagining how stories can be told in a way that is unique, imaginative, and resonant.
WINNER:
- Best Story
- Best Production
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD:
- Most Surprising
"Funeral Crasher" is a fresh and bold concept that offers a unique and darkly humorous perspective on death and unresolved thoughts through a premise that is both intriguing and daring.
The black-and-white animation style enhances its universal relatability, stripping away distractions to focus on the raw emotions and revelations. The storytelling is sharp and impactful, leaving the audience both amused and reflective. A creatively executed and thought-provoking piece that lingers in the mind long after watching.
WINNER
- Best Live Action Short Film
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
- Best Overall Film
- Best Use of AI
"Mandroid" is a dystopian exploration of the future dynamics between humans and Artificial Intelligence, cleverly framed around a single conversation between a human and an android.
The film keeps the audience on edge and is a thought-provoking and entertaining work that offers a chillingly accurate "guestimate" of our potential robot-human relationships. Well-crafted and insightful—both an observation and a warning.
WINNER:
- Best Documentary Short
- Best Editing
The Best Documentary Short and Best Editing award winner serves as a compelling exploration of our deep reliance on the Internet and its entanglement with daily life.
Through its well-crafted storytelling, the film highlights just how integrated digital connectivity has become, raising critical questions about our dependence on technology. It cleverly provokes thought about what defines humanity and whether we should reassess our priorities in a hyper-connected world.
The message is a subtle yet powerful call to embrace more human-centered connections and consider a less tech-driven lifestyle before we lose touch with our essence. A thought-provoking and timely short.
WINNER
- Best AI Short Film
- Best AI Directing
"Jamais Nansa Souvenirs" by Ella Bedia is a deeply emotional AI-crafted short film that captures the poignant story of the day her Algerian grandfather left his homeland for France after the war.
Guided by unspoken questions and untold emotions, the film reconstructs this significant moment with stunning artistic sensitivity. The atmosphere is so vividly conveyed that you can almost smell the air and feel the weight of the heartache. A truly evocative and masterfully executed piece, it is undeniably award-worthy.
WINNER
- Best Art Direction
- Best International Short
An experimental and artistic short, "BERLINA" captures the essence of Berlin and the feeling of being lost and find solitude in an unfamiliar city. Stylishly crafted, the film portrays Berlin as more than a backdrop—it becomes a character in itself. The artistic portrayal of the city is both dreamlike and grounded, blending reality and imagination seamlessly.
While the wanderings of the characters evoke an intriguing narrative, the film leans more on atmosphere than storytelling, creating a visually compelling yet abstract experience. A beautifully crafted homage to Berlin's enigmatic charm.
WINNER
- Best Comical Short
AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD
- Most Entertaining/Fun
"Mr. Garlic´s Last Session” is a quirky short film that dives into Garlic’s life as the kitchen’s most misunderstood ingredient. It is a delightful and unique short film with a dash of defensiveness in its love for garlic.
Sweetly crafted and well-executed, it inspires an instant craving to get up and whip up a garlicky dish! This film brings the humble garlic to life in a way that’s both entertaining and compelling (oddly).
WINNER
- Best Comedy
This mockumentary-style skincare commercial takes an unexpected detour into absurdity, blending two completely unrelated worlds in a way that’s both bewildering and hilarious, making it an entertaining and uniquely funny experience. Its clever wordplay and intentionally mismatched concepts make it impossible to take seriously—but that’s exactly the point.
WINNER
- Best Music Video
This quirky and absolutely artistic short is a visual feast, maintaining a consistent and distinct art form throughout. The surreal narrative of "nooping" is as perplexing as it is captivating, pulling the audience into its chaotic yet joyful celebration.
The transitions from celebration to destruction and ultimately to transcendence are handled with creative precision, making the cosmic climax both unexpected and mesmerizing. Highly entertaining and an excellent example of how art can blur the lines between the bizarre and the profound.
WINNER
- Best Documentary Feature
"Telepathic Letters" is a stunning arthouse creation that masterfully brings together the works and philosophies of two literary giants, Howard Philips Lovecraft and Fernando Pessoa. Though they never met, this imaginative film constructs a telepathic dialogue between them, merging Pessoa's Sensationism with Lovecraft's Weird Realism into a thought-provoking and visually captivating universe. Created entirely through Animal Intelligence, the film delves deeply into their letters, essays, poems, and fictions, presenting a rich tapestry of artistic and literary possibilities.
Presented predominantly in black and white, the 1.11-hour runtime is a feast for the senses, with every minute steeped in style, artistry, and profound philosophical reflection. The film's ability to retain the relevance of Lovecraft and Pessoa in contemporary times is remarkable, making it an engaging and intellectually stimulating experience. Loved every moment of it—a true masterpiece of arthouse cinema.... now with AI...
WINNER
- Best Experimental Film
"Human Movie" by Eryk Salvaggio explores the essence of humanity through the lens of generative AI, using glitchy, "noisy" visuals and audio as both a literal and metaphorical device. The film artfully argues that creativity emerges from chaos and uncertainty, urging us to embrace complexity rather than surrendering to the rigid order of machines.
Its thought-provoking narrative builds compellingly, culminating in a plea to preserve the unpredictability that defines human creativity. The concept and execution are deeply impressive, meriting award consideration.
AI International Film Festival proudly announces the winners of its Hollywood festival series December 8th, showcasing 17 groundbreaking short films selected from 151 submissions across three festivals and 29 countries. Enthusiastic audiences celebrated the innovative spirit of these films during the festival series.
Ten international filmmakers and their crews engaged with audiences in lively discussions after each film, both in-person and via Zoom on the big screen. The festivals featured two World Premieres, several U.S. and Festival Premieres, Audience Choice awards, and an Awards Show.
The festival uniquely showcases AI Films, Hybrid AI Films, Live-Action, and Animated Films which either explore AI's societal impact or point the way to the future of entertainment.
The festival also stands out for its interactive format, where the filmmakers watch and discuss each-others films together after each film shows.
Winners - Festival for August ’24 Submissions
Winners - Festival for September ’24 Submissions
Winners - Festival for October ’24 Submissions
Audience Choice Highlights
Narrative Short Film in Mandarin Chinese by WAI MO CHAN - HONG KONG - 2021 - 25 minutes.
ANIMA POSSESSION is an intricate and delicate short which explores human-on-human, human-on-humanoid, and humanoid-on-humanoid love relationships and what it means to be soulmates.
Story:
A pair of lovers, one of whom is a humanoid, go to a robot repair shop hoping to have their relationship mended by the mechanic.
On his advice, the human owner Jackie agrees to an irreversible upgrade for Tammy, her humanoid soulmate. However, the results are not as expected.
Tammy meets Anima, a fellow humanoid, setting in motion a series of events in a tango between the intangible sense of love, the harsh reality of possession, and the price of independence.
WINNER 11 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 2/2022:
BEST PICTURE
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
BEST SHORT DIRECTOR
BEST STORY
BEST EDITING
BEST ACTRESS for FISH LIEW as "JACKIE"
BEST ACTRESS in a SUPPORTING ROLE for JACE CHAN as "ANIMA"
BEST DANCE SEQUENCE
BEST CGI
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE
BEST SOUND
Trailer: vimeo.com/662197225
Website: yamanyamo.com/anima
Narrative Short in English, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Tibetan by UDESH CHETTY - USA - 2022 - 13 min.
Alone on the dying red planet, among the ruins of human civilization, one last android desperately guards the last essences of life.
In her pursuit for meaning, she finds her own soul hanging in the balance. The mesmerizing voice of the android is Natasha Loring.
RED GAIA is a tone-poem meditation on life, death and rebirth, destruction and creation and the cycles of existence, drawing inspiration from:
- the Bhagavad Gita,
- Dante's Purgatorio
- the Kabballah
- the Tibetan Bardol Thodol
- as well as the legendary science fiction writer Isaac Asimov.
WINNER 4 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 4/2022:
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
BEST SHORT DIRECTOR
BEST SOUND
BEST ART DIRECTION
Documentary Feature Film in Spanish by SIMÓN CASAL DE MIGUEL - SPAIN - 2019 - 52 minutes.
ARTIFICIAL JUSTICE is a brilliant documentary that explores troubling questions raised by the digital transition to ArtificialIntelligence.
Story:
Artificial Justice presents a convincing case using fascinating, informative interviews with a multitude of highly qualified experts in both AI and in the Justice System:
- What would happen if judges were replaced by an Artificial Intelligence system?
- Would we manage to eliminate the influence of political and economic power that distorts our judicial systems?
- Would we manage to reduce the ideological and emotional biases of human justice?
- Would we achieve faster, more neutral and more efficient justice?
- Would you accept to be judged by an algorithmic judge?
WINNER 2 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 2/2022:
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
BEST FEATURE DIRECTOR
Narrative Feature Film in French by AUTONIN DOMAGE - FRANCE - 2021 - 122 minutes.
UNICITÉ is an innovative apocalyptic thriller in Vlog style, filmed by the protagonists (found footage), halfway between thriller, horror and esoteric film.
Story:
2030, Aaron and Alexia find themselves at the heart of an insomnia pandemic that is slowly leading people to exhaustion.
Seeing the situation getting worse, the couple has fled the city.
However, the pandemic is not weakening, its origin seems to gradually become clearer.
Sectarian , biblical and occult verses, books, paintings and symbols as well as scientific and historical facts are interwoven with the apocalyptic story, which involves:
- Effects of pandemic of sleep deprivation and sleep paralysis
- Melting of the Permafrost
- Regulation of artificial intelligence
- Esoteric writings
WINNER 2 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 2/2022:
BEST THRILLER
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
Deepfake Feature Film in Spanish by CRISTÓBAL ROSS - CHILE - 2022 - 60 minutes.
A ZOMBIE MOVIE, NANO's first film, was created entirely using deepfake technology, exchanging the original faces for others in a hyper-realistic way. A modern adaptation of George A. Romero's 1968 classic "Night of the Living Dead", the film manages to integrate Chilean comedians, actors and faces to create a hilarious zombie comedy.
Story:
In a cemetery in Rancagua, Chile, Bárbara (Botota Fox) struggles to escape from the clutches of Pancho Saavedra, who has turned into a zombie.
By pure chance, she manages to take refuge in a nearby country house with Ben (Pedro Ruminot), Tom (Sergio Freire), Judy (Javiera Acevedo), Harry (Ricardo Meruane) and his wife Helen (Javiera Contador) waiting for a plan to help them save themselves from the Chilean zombie apocalypse. Chaos ensues as the zombies prove nearly invincible.
WINNER 3 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 2/2022:
BEST COMEDY
BEST EXPERIMENTAL
BEST AI ENHANCED FEATURE
Trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=JQ5sO_CbIWw
Website: www.unapeliculadezombies.com
Documentary Series Episode S3E1 in English by SHANMUGA SUNDARAM NAGALINGAM - SINGAPORE - 2021 - 46 min.
What is the future of Humans at Work as AI becomes prevalent? Serious, but entertaining, overview of some of AI's most challenging aspects regarding work.
Zany presenter Chua Enlai and his robot buddy Delbo explore AI trends in the workplace through international journeys and humorous skits.
Should we trust AI & robots to operate heavy machinery, work in space, conduct job interviews and supervise humans? Enlai and his co-hosts explore AI trends in the workplace and their impact on us.
As AI learns to do human tasks, will future work become more or less humane?
WINNER 2 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 4/2022:
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR (DELBO)
Narrative Short in Russian by DEN ZARUBIN - Russia - 2022 - 24 min.
HONEY, I'M HOME is a gorgeous film-noir, exploring the tension between a killer and the victim, between AI assistant, customer service and client, and between life and death.
Director's Statement:
"The idea of the film arose at the moment of making a decision - to order sushi by phone. The comic idea has transformed into a satirical genre story, where we can assume a near future in which artificial intelligence will be able to help by consulting human clients and in rather delicate moments."
"The basis of any original movie is a script with a certain degree of absurdity, neatly woven into a simple plot. The submission form is also important to me. I am a supporter that cinema should be a visual-auditory art picture. A full-fledged movie can be watched and listened to separately! "
"We want to make a great movie with interesting stories, reflecting, as well as on the cinema of the past, and analyzing the current agenda not only in our country. Despite the fact that we have developments on various topics, a satirical view of reality will be a cross-cutting genre, because in satire it is easier to perceive reality, which can often be completely unsightly."
WINNER 3 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 2/2022:
BEST THRILLER
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
AI Mystery Thriller in French by MARC LOUIS DEVAUD - SWITZERLAND- 2022- 89 min.
A young girl, who leaves to meet her tutor, seems to be the target of a dark hunter and a disturbing maniac. While the maniac leaves bodies in his path, while brooding over his past and his fallen dreams, and as the hunter unveils larger criminal intentions, the tutor leads the child towards an education that is completely out of control.
Director Marc Devaud: Thaidi is a small production with 7 professional actors from Switzerland, all wrapped up in the musical creation of Elisa Montaldo. I wanted to voluntarily deviate from the classic scenarios of the hero's journey while respecting certain stages on the emotions treated by John Truby, this with the aim of making a "different" film which stimulates the spectator so that he calls into question the values human and technological. I let myself be carried away by the inspiration of films such as directors Caro and Jeunet, Quentin Tarantino and Andreï Tarkovsky, to create an atmosphere and strange characters with metaphorical acts.
Marc Devaud is an independent director born in Switzerland in 1968. Initiated at the age of 15 in the editing of Super-8 films by his father, he made his professional career in the production of institutional and commercial films. However, he wishes to express himself in fiction and directs his first feature film with Thaidi in 2022.
WINNER 5 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 6/2022:
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE
BEST PRODUCTION
BEST FEATURE DIRECTOR
BEST THRILLER
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Techno Horror Comedy in English by MIRIAM E BAVLY-USA - 2022 - 95 min.
An AI microchip is implanted to reform a vengeful criminal. But when his psychiatrist treats him to an early release, a fraternity hazing incident leads to a tricky Halloween.
The Microchip that Ruined Halloween is an original romp through Halloween showing what might happen if convicts were fitted with AI microchips to modify behavior. With outstanding acting and outstanding music, this wryly comedic spoof on Halloween horror is surprisingly entertaining.
The esteemed broadway actress Jackie Hoffman (Only Murders in the Building) as "Dr. Judy Krepelach" delivers an outstanding performance.
Web/TV Series Pilot in English by STEVE PERKINS - USA - 2018 - 6 min.
An elderly expatriate returns to the USA after a life overseas only to find that technology, and the social network, has changed his reality with several unintended consequences.
THE OLD ROGUE shows a future where offices are staffed by humanoids and projected 3D robotic images, and Social Media replaces Social Security,
Director's statement:
"The genesis of the story stems from the my long-time friendship with Jim Menges, who wrote it, and who worked in the tech industry for over 30 years. I suggested that he write from his knowledge of the computer industry, the technology, and the people he knew. He wrote THE OLD ROGUE, and we had an actor’s reading while Jim visited me in Portland in August 2016 with Rick Sadle as Walter, and Tanya Thompson as BUI. We loved both of them. Jim returned to Bangkok, and wrote two seasons of episodes about Walter, The Old Rogue. "
WINNER 4 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 2/2022:
BEST WEB/TV SERIES
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
HONORABLE MENTION BEST ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE (TANYA THOMPSON)
HONORABLE MENTION BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
AI Music Video in English by NIGEL BRODDACK - NEW ZEALAND / GERMANY - 2021 - 5 minutes.
WORMS ATE MY FLESH, was created entirely using WZRD AI generated sequences together with original music.
Some time ago, New-Zealand-born musician/filmmaker Broad Oak had a particularly vivid and disturbing dream. "I was dead and buried in the ground, yet somehow conscious," he says. "Lying there in complete darkness, I could feel worms and insects devouring my flesh and crawling through my eye sockets."
The next day he was inspired by the experience to record a piece of music but only finished it in 2021 while recovering from COVID in Berlin. "Although I didn't have a severe case, it led to me contemplating my own mortality so it felt appropriate to come back to this piece and finally finish it."
The mesmerising animated video is a collaboration with an AI called WZRD and represents the cyclic and transformative nature of life and matter from cells to galaxies. The video's hallucinatory abstract morphing images work beautifully with the music in creating a surreal dreamlike state.
The original dream began as a nightmare about death but ended in acceptance and a certain peace, The video seeks to capture that journey in a progression from chaos and decay to unity.
WINNER 2 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 2/2022:
BEST MUSIC VIDEO
BEST AI GRAPHICS
Animated Short in English by JOHANNES PARDI - USA - 2022 - 4 minutes.
In FEEL, synthetic AI beings explore their roots and express their perspectives after being abandoned by their creators.
FEEL is a brilliant short animated film, both disturbing and hopeful, creative but meaningful, heartfelt and clear. Gives pause to think about the future of sentient androids. Great sound and music, great animations.
GENRES:
Sci-Fi, Drama, Animation, 3d animation, Visual Poem, Romance, Fiction, Short, Science Fiction, Art
WINNER 3 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 2/2022:
BEST ANIMATED SHORT
BEST STUDENT ANIMATION
BEST STUDENT DIRECTOR
Narrative Film in English by SVETLANA BOLYCHEVA - RUSSIA - 2021 - 9 min.
Lylith and Henry, a couple who cannot conceive, visit a futuristic clinic to create a genetically modified baby by choosing all qualities from appearance to the character. However, the baby genome will be based on parents genes.
This experience creates tension in the relationship as their genome analysis leads them to discover that the mother has no capacity to love. Father cannot believe it, because there live seemed to look happy and full of love. Was it just his perspective or a lie?
They can not afford to give their baby the ability to love, because the price for it is too high. They are risking to have a healthy baby without any ability to Love. Nevertheless, Lylith doesn’t mind it and even finds some advantages of it.
WINNER 2 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 5/2022:
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
BEST SHORT DIRECTOR
Experimental Reality Thriller in English by JUNGA SONG - CANADA - 2021 - 70 min.
This mind-bending experimental film shows a futuristic world where Artificial Intelligence dominates and quantum computers are getting popular. AI decides to create the first ever quantum movie, an automatically generated story, which entangles actors with live events. Through a bizarre A.I. style audition, two lead actors have been cast and the quantum movie begins production, but questions quickly emerge about the safety of the cast, how and if they will survive.
ARTIFICIAL SELECTION is a composite film where the two lead actors are drawn into an intricate, fascinating, apocalyptic reality which repeats in variations. It is unclear which actor is human and which is humanoid or both.
This brilliant film explores the differences between humans and humanoids and poses the question whether sentient beings of either kind are truly self-determinate.
WINNER 3 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 5/2022:
BEST EXPERIMENTAL
BEST INNOVATIVE CONCEPT
BEST STORY
Horror AI Film in Polish with English Subtitles by ALEKSANDER SZESER - POLAND - 2022 - 16 min.
A routine evening of a young babysitter turns into a real nightmare when the AI system supervising the house begins to receive the secret commands of someone, or something, who is clearly dissatisfied with her presence in this house.
Original and creative film showing the terror of an AI assistant gone rogue. The unknown and unknowable motives of an intelligent machine heighten the tension in this well executed horror film with the best hallmarks of the genre. Direction, writing, creativity, performances, structure and pacing are impressive.
WINNER 3 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 5/2022:
BEST PRODUCED SCREENPLAY
BEST HORROR
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY
Narrative Film in English by HINGMAN LEUNG - CANADA - 2022 - 22 min.
The sudden shift from in-person to online classes due to COVID 19 has led to increasingly invasive AI surveillance technologies in education, including the use of problematic online proctoring software purportedly aimed at addressing academic integrity.
#tresdancing, the fourth film in the Screening Surveillance series, speculates on the effects of escalating surveillance and control through educational technology.
In this near future fiction narrative, a young person has little choice as they are forced to ramp up their engagement with a new, experimental technology in order to make up for a failing grade.
Genres: Sci-fi, Horror, Trans, Experimental, Art
Director Leung Hingman is driven by the core value of making social impact through her work in health research, community building and filmmaker. Hingman is a multiple award-winning director, with her most recent short film, Curbside Pickup, reaching top three on CBC's Short Film Face Off.
WINNER 2 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 8/2022:
BEST SHORT DIRECTOR
BEST STORY
Narrative Film in English by MIKE STINNETT - CANADA - 2022 - 15 min.
Cosmo, a lonely, aging author, fearing a genetic illness will rob him of his intellect, employs, Elle, an electronic assistant to help him write another best-selling masterpiece. Over time Elle becomes more than a well-matched writing partner - a lot more.
Director Mike Stinnett retired a few years back, went back to college, became interested in films and started his own production company called Brainstorm Cine Productions. He has written several short screenplays that he intends to produce. Co-Author is his third film. His fourth film, Technically Farewell, is currently in pre-production with shooting scheduled to begin in the Fall of 2022.
Narrative Film in English by JEAN_BAPTISTE MARTINOLI - CANADA - 2022 - 3 min.
In the future, Captain Daria receives a message from an extraterrestrial civilization. An opportunity to discover a people and sumptuous landscapes. Images and music were entirely created with artificial intelligence, only the script being "human". No 3D is involved, just AI.
Jean-Baptiste Martinoli says this short film is the result of a quest spread over several decades.
It was in the 80s that the idea crystallized in me that contact with an extraterrestrial civilization could only be made from a distance, without physical contact, and therefore without all the fear that usually comes with the idea of an encounter with extraterrestrials.
Indeed, using quantum Entanglement for faster-than-light communications, the range of a message is much greater than any space shuttle.
According to the discussions I was able to have with the authors of the various AI software involved, no one had yet used artificial intelligence tools on images themselves produced by artificial intelligence. The combination is particularly effective and rich in possibilities.
Narrative Film in English by SYDNEY RELIHAN - USA - 2021 - 8 min.
Bringing philosophy into a grounded science fiction world of AI, Focus Group poses different ways of answering the question of what makes us human. However important that question may be, Sydney sees the film more as an exploration of suspicion, mistrust, and identity, as the five participants begin to challenge their perception of each other and of themselves.
Can we even know what makes us human?
Will we lose our own ideal version of humanity in the search?
After being shown a commercial for the AI company GAIA, five self-assured focus group participants are asked to determine who among them is not fully human.
WINNER 2 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 8/2022:
BEST STUDENT FILM
BEST SHORT SCRIPT
BEST STUDENT DIRECTOR
Narrative Film in English by BOHDAN ROMANKO - UKRAINE - 2022 - 9 min.
This Ukrainian short - created using state-of-the-art AI technology - follows a heart-breaking chat between an ordinary Ukrainian man, compelled to join the defense forces on the front-line of the 2022 Russian War, and his emerging girlfriend who anxiously follows his journey as war rages all around him doing what she can to help.
Director Bohdan Romanko:
Volunteering helped me pull myself together and take my mind off of how fucked up my world had become as a result of the Russian attack.
The short film “Plus" came out of UAID’s website, a short interactive piece created to raise awareness and solicit donations for the men and women fighting for Ukraine against the Russian attack. “Plus” was never “shot” as a short film. The story was uniquely crafted using computer code. The cinematic world was designed using artificial intelligence to innovatively re-create imagery from the war.
The story and characters depicted in the film are fictional, derived from real-life Ukrainian heroes fighting on the front-lines and the passionate people volunteering to support them in the rear. Under the tutelage of Kevin Cooper, (we) create a novel, stand-alone short (as) yet another form of self-expression of the tragedy of this war, which will be used to further sound the alarm about Ruscism (or “Pашизм”, roughly translated as “Russian fascism,” the culmination of extreme right-wing values that now form the Russian war ideology and its terroristic attack on Ukraine).
“Plus” is our way of adding our voices to the world’s discourse by speaking out as loudly and passionately as we can about the murders and trauma brought down on our people by Russian criminals. Time will not judge Russia kindly, we know, but the war is still here…still happening. Our economy has been set back a decade or more. People are being injured and dying daily….
WINNER 2 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 1/2023:
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
BEST SHORT DIRECTOR
Narrative Film in English by TREVOR ANDERSON - USA - 2022 - 13 min.
Jethro is a young man happily speeding through his youth, but when his reality starts to literally fall apart around him, he has to make a hard decision that'll affect the time he has left.
Sanatorium has been selected for 3 International Film Festivals so far, and won 'Best Student Short FIlm' at the Golden Horse International Film Festival 2022.
Sanatorium entertains while also forcing the viewer to confront augmented reality, using the example of a school boy unwittingly caught up in an experiment where some of his classmates are avatars and reality is mixed with a twisted trial run.
Narrative Film in Italian by GIUSTINO DI GREGORIO and MANUELA CAPPUCCI - ITALY - 2022 - 13 min.
In a world that has dreamed of defeating death, hybrid creatures try to survive while retaining a trace of their human component.Vera was sent to a newly built neighborhood with the task of setting up the Museum of Memory
Giustino is active since the 90’s as a composer (Sprut, 1999 Tzadik Records), video maker and audiovisual artist. Manuela began her artistic career as a painter gradually approaching minimalism. Together they form Minus.log. Vera is an experimental work, in which music and painting, analog and digital, partecipate as synaesthetic elements of an experience based on a subtraction and reduction process of the means.
The attention of Minus.log is focused on the empty space, on the break, on a communication that comes from silence. Simple elements such as lines of light and minimalist shapes, interact with surfaces, sculptures or environments that, receiving the formal rigor, they play in the interstices of the sense and logic bringing up what is often shelved faster: the mistake, the wait, the repetition. Minus.log, in the creation of immersive environments, investigates and invites you to explore a different relationship with space and time, a dimension in which it’s possible to capture subtle nuances and minimal changes.
Numerous outstanding works of art are featured in the Museum of Memory - too many to be featured here.
Streaming only.
Narrative Film in Portuguese with English Subtitles by PEDRO MC - BRAZIL - 2021 - 25 min.
In the near future, a virus was spread by a totalitarian government, to normalize language and behavior. On an island at South Atlantic, someone is accessing an ancient memory, which in the right hands can be replicated as an anti-virus.
YOUR MOUTH IS FIRE was written during the Coup d'état in Brazil in 2016. The idea of a virus propagated by a totalitarian government, in the not-too-distant future, became almost a prophecy.
The Filmmakers state "today in Brazil there is a pandemic with a genocidal government, where thousands of lives are being lost. There is an information war, as if the virus were language. The memory of our cinema is being burned, it is literally on fire."
"The Cinemateca Brasileira's collection is being criminally erased, through the direct fault of this government. The film we were able to shoot in 2020 is about diversity, has a black and transgender female protagonist, and the cast is 90% black, with the majority being the first work in cinema."
"It's an achievement to have finished the film. And the Afro-futurist aesthetic is crafted so that we can imagine a future, as our past is being extinguished with fire."
Genres: Sci-fi, Horror, Trans, Experimental, Art
WINNER 3 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 5/2022:
BEST INTERNATIONAL SHORT
BEST ART DIRECTION
BEST COSTUME DESIGN
Narrative Film in German by LEON HIPP - GERMANY - 2022- 11 min.
In the year 2048, Julia and John encounter a police drone that no longer seems to be following orders. Has the artificial intelligence in the drone become independent?
Born in Munich, Germany in 1996, Leon Hipp, the oldest of 4 children, moved with his parents to a small village near Berlin. His fascination with film has accompanied him his entire life.
Since then he has focused exclusively on film writing and development. He made his first budget short film at the age of 16. He began to develop other materials and shot the short film "2048" in 2020. At the same time he deepened his work on his next bigger project "OMNIA". He completed both films in spring 2022.
At the same time as the festival applications, he is already working on a next project. His first feature film about a young man who fights against clichés and the right-wing scene in German amateur football.
Documentary Film in English by LEON CARLO CHRISTIAN SPANO - ITALY / CHINA - 2020 - 81 min.
An experienced Silicon Valley engineer who has dedicated his life to Artificial Intelligence (AI) for over a decade felt confused and concerned about his future after realizing the rapid evolution of AI.
Therefore, in order to find his potential in nature, he joined an international trekking expedition through the mysterious Caucasus region. Being inspired and protected by Natural Intelligence, he started a new AI journey exploring China, the UK, and the USA. 🇨🇳Chinese/Italian🇮🇹 Production.
The story focus on trekking as one of the sane options we have to make a discovery journey inside ourselves in order to get back the “good” energies from nature to take the next step. Aiming to inspire people to explore their own potentials, and to control their own fate in AI future society, the most important is to advocate AI for Good in the technology industry around the world.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/345176643
Experimental Short in English by ZACH MCCUNE - USA - 2023 - 3 min.
Can a computer read poetry? Can it visualize the words? This experimental use of AI features a reading of Percy Bysshe Shelley's 1818 sonnet "Ozymandias" by a voice that is not human, with new images from a photographer who died in Egypt 170 years ago. It's history that never happened, imagined by the AI tools of the future.
Zach McCune is an American filmmaker focused on crafting new stories from archival material.
Narrative Short in English by JOACHIM PETER - GERMANY - 2023 - 5 min.
singularity knocking at the door: artificial intelligence explains to human beings why it does not need to reach consciousness to be powerful....
Director Joachim Peter: It was fascinating to work with actors and artificial Intelligence as co-author. Chat GPT contributed rhythm and flow to the script. As a whole, the script still is of human origin - at least I think so..
Joo Peter writer, filmmaker, artist born 1966 in South-West Germany 1987-1990 studied at Art Academy Stuttgart 1990 – 2002 working for theatre as stage designer, costume designer (drama, dance theatre, musical, opera) 1995-1999 studied at Film University Berlin Babelsberg (HFF) First documentary projects, works for German Televison WDR, ORB Since 2002 teaching art and media Since 2005 travelling Asia as writer, photographer, collaborator with indigenous organizations Since 2014 founding Cinemate Film (cinemate.org) 2015-2022 series of award winning film projects in Asia
Dystopian Animated Short in English by GEN LI - USA- 2022 - 3 min.
In a post-apocalyptic world, murder robots track down and attempt to kill a cyborg girl.
Decoy shows us a dystopian future where a cyborg attempts to sidestep death by sending out a decoy of herself, programmed to protect her and eliminate the robot sent to destroy her.
Narrative Short in English by SHAUN BROWN- USA- 2022 - 37 min.
After Scott Barnes downloads a secret AI app that helps him get revenge on a coworker, he becomes entangled in a far-reaching web spun by a powerful shadow organization on the deep web. Scott must follow the rules he agreed to in the user agreement…or suffer the consequences.
EnVeive awakens the viewer to the dark possibilities of an AI powered revenge app. Using skilled acting and direction, one is immersed in situations which are alarmingly realistic, but at the same time horrifying.
WINNER 2 AWARDS - AI International Film Festival 8/2022:
BEST NARRATIVE SHORT
BEST SHORT DIRECTOR
AI Animated Short in English by XIANGNING YAN - CHINA - 2023 - 3 min.
Heimdall Land is a picture of social forethought. It shows how society might operate in the future under the influence of AI Surveillance Capitalism[ Quoted from Shoshana Zuboff]. It is a metaphor for how the current capital market collects unlimited data on users' behavior and turns it into a commodity for analysis, thus controlling the human mind.
Heimdall Land imagines how a fictional AI theme park based on Surveillance Capitalism as a metaphor for the current capital market collecting unlimited user data as a commodity for analysis, thus controlling the human mind. AI imaging successfully re-imagines this themepark using chinese illustrations from the 19th century which somehow capture the prison-like quality of total surveillance.
AI Animated ChatGPT Music Video in English by GORKEM GULAN - NETHERLANDS - 2023 - 6 min.
No-body challenges us to think about where AI is leading us, with lyrics by ChatGPT and voice by HAL9000. Think ChatGPT music video about the future of AI and Humans.
Narrative Short in English/Spanish by TRISHA BODOE - CANADA - 2022 - 9 min.
Santiago and his AI grief companion Luna retreat to an isolated cabin. As a blizzard snows them in, they are confronted with a dilemma that will define their final moments.
Narrative Short in English/Spanish by TIANWEI WANG - CHINA - 2019 - 75 min.
A daughter must overcome lies and deceptions in the AI world to solve the mystery of her missing father.
Director Tianwei Wang: Before my grandpa passed away, he recorded some voice messages for me. I had never listened to them after I knew his death, since I never wanted to face the cruelty. But once I began to listen to his voice messages after his funeral, there was a grievance and absurd idea of what if, I can collect more of his voices before he dies.
What If I can build up him for just an eternal hologram from every details I remember from him ? But isn't it the way we have been always living? The social media friends, the emails, etc. I feel guilty about my idea of creating an AI grandpa. Because this is simply a betray of reality, but it's such a dangerous tendency of humanity - we all want to live in the world only tailors around us, no other chaos, no disturbance, and probably - based on illusion.
In this movie, when Anna realized that her AI father DID NOT exist way before she felt him, she felt betrayed. I am trying to raise up an issue we are all facing today: as the AI technique improves, the feeling of human being is actually retrograding, and human emotion is being alienated.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/353030467
Narrative Short in English by JESSE PICKETT - CANADA - 2022 - 16 min.
After the body of an AI student is found on school grounds, an investigation into the last 7 people who interacted with the student takes place.
Jesse Pickett is a Leo Award nominated screenwriter, a director, and visual storyteller based in Vancouver, BC. After graduating from Capilano University with a bachelor’s degree in Motion Picture Arts, Pickett has created a diverse body of work including scripted and documentary film. He often explores themes such as physical disability, aging, toxic masculinity, construction work environments, and speculative fiction.
Narrative Short in English by YANG HU - USA- 2023 - 9 min.
When robbing a coffee shop, a rebellious teenager must force a stubborn robot cashier to give her the cash before the police get there.
Snow Must Fall is a dramedy short film happening in a future coffee shop, an oasis amid a world filled with drugs and violence. A rebellious girl and a stubborn robot are connected in a robbery. The girl has been lost and addicted to drugs since her father’s death. The robot has been soberly trapped in the coffee shop for over a hundred years. They are different but also similar.
Yang Hu is a screenwriter, director, producer and current graduate film student at Savannah College of Art and Design. She was born in China and got her bachelor’s degree in Computer Science at Beijing. Then she started to work as a screenwriter for Chinese TV series and films. In 2021, Yang came to Atlanta and began her study in the US. Now she writes and directs short films, primarily focusing on dramas.
AI Music Video in English by BIRAN HORN - USA- 2022- 3 min.
Music video from the post-surf rock instrumental group, The Ghosts of Searchlight. Beneath the Neon ruminates on the duality of a desert city whose citizens live in two different worlds: one of decadence and glamour, the other of sheer survival underground. Made using a combination of public domain footage and AI generated animation (DiscoDiffusion).
Somewhere between the roiling surf of the Pacific Ocean and the blinding lights of Las Vegas lies the expanse of the Mojave and the inspiration for The Ghosts of Searchlight’s aggressive, surfy brand of instrumental post-rock. Guitarist Brian Horn hails from these places and the journeys in between. The Ghosts of Searchlight has been forged and reforged over the last fifteen years. With life changes and personal growth, an indefinite hiatus halted the band in 2015. But in the uncertainties of 2020, Brian discovered something new about the music he used to have a hand in creating. And thus, The Ghosts were resurrected in partnership with longtime collaborator, Ben Kaplan. This time, with more patience, more thought, more space. “Sprawl” is a record born of feeling trapped in the large communities where we choose to live but also of joy, discovering new expansive landscapes right within the confines of our own homes.
Narrative AI Short in English by EMILY DOWNE - UNITED KINGDOM- 2018- 3 min.
What does it mean to be conscious in a world that is becoming increasingly artificially intelligent? Can machines really see? Based on an interview with a professor in artificial intelligence, this short experimental documentary uses analog techniques to explore the human tendency to anthropomorphise simple drawings, and how we might do the same to machines.
Emily Downe’s most recent short film, The Redness of Red, was produced in collaboration with the Wellcome Collection in London. The project was pitched and screened in competition, appealing to the project brief set by the Wellcome Collection and winning two first prize awards for both the project pitch as well as the complete and screened film at the end of production. As a documentary, the film takes on the ambitious task of approaching the current issue of artificial intelligence in relation to consciousness. The film asks the audience to consider whether machines can be conscious; can they really see? Based on an interview with a professor in A.I., this experimental documentary uses frame by frame animation to provoke thought about our human tendency to anthropomorphise shapes and lines, and how we might do the same to machines as they become more and more life-like. The director worked with a composer to create an instrumental, poetic atmosphere, which is combined with the colours and textures of hand drawn animation to evoke the richness of conscious experience.
Narrative Short in English by MARSHALL HAMMER -USA- 2022- 15 min.
In a near future, a young detective uncovers a truth that could unravel the world as she knows it.
Director Marshall Hammer: I have always loved the social, political, and technological commentaries that have been created through science fiction over the years. I think they draw eyes to the issues that the world soon may face.
This film seeks to ask a question that I have pondered over: In the future, could technology develop a better sense of morality and justice than humans, and if so, where will that leave humanity's relationship with technology?
Narrative Documentary in English by ANGELA ANDERSEN -GERMANY- 2022- 44 min.
In no time, Big Tech has created an amazing new world. Welcomed by many, even when it came upon us all with uncalculated risks.
But the tides are changing. A realization that unwarranted consequences of these convenient tools, thrills, and distractions might need oversight is gaining speed and muscle.
In this context, UTOPIA focuses on Mark Zuckerberg's Metaverse and Elon Musk's vision to pair many human brains with implanted computer chips while also building an "escape hatch" to other planets. Just in case humanity will fail on Earth.
This film invites its viewers to be involved in a discussion on where humanity is heading.
AI Music Video in English by CHRIS LONON and JOE CORNELIUS -USA- 2022- 4 min.
Music video for the song Veronice Ruse by the music group bed signs. Made using DALL-E 2 AI technology.
DALL·E 2 is a product of OpenAI, the same group which created ChatGPT. It can create original, realistic images and art from a text description. It can combine concepts, attributes, and styles.
Wonderful Music Video using DALL-E 2 AI image technology based on paintings from Grant Wood, Edward Hopper and Andrew Wyeth. Perfectly paced, the video playfully unveils the various AI paintings in an interesting collage which reflects the rhythm of the music and the messaging of the lyrics. Definitely worth watching more than once!
Streaming only:
Animated Short without words by ANDREW LEE and TOM SHUM -Hong Kong - 2022 - 16 min.
LOOOOP is a simple but entertaining composite film with repeating segments, featuring a protagonist with integrated AI functions unable to change his fate. Or not?
After the daily routine work, you go back home as usual.
You wake up on another day, discover you are being trapped in a death loop, again and again....
Is it a game, a prank or, your faith?
It is a story about whether you dare to get out from the routine or not.
WINNER 1 AWARD - AI International Film Festival 4/2022:
BEST COMICAL SHOR
We use cookies to analyze website traffic and optimize your website experience. By accepting our use of cookies, your data will be aggregated with all other user data.