AI Film Festival Highlights Global Talent and Innovation in Generative Video
- tech360.tv
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
A film festival dedicated to showcasing artificial intelligence in cinema returned to New York this week, drawing thousands of submissions and spotlighting the growing role of AI in filmmaking.
The AI Film Festival, organised by AI video company Runway, opened Thursday night with 10 short films selected from around 6,000 global entries. The event, now in its second year, featured a 90-minute screening of finalists that demonstrated a wide range of creative styles and themes.
Jacob Adler’s “Total Pixel Space” won the top prize. The 9-minute, 28-second film explores the vast number of possible images in the digital realm, using mathematics to visualise a universe of both real and imagined visuals.
Second place went to “Jailbird” by Andrew Salter, which follows a chicken’s journey to a UK prison as part of a joint-rehabilitation programme, told from the bird’s perspective.
Third place was awarded to “One,” a futuristic story about interplanetary travel by Ricardo Villavicencio and Edward Saatchi.
The 10 finalists will also be screened in Los Angeles and Paris next week.
Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela said the festival has grown significantly since its 2023 debut, when only 300 films were submitted.
“We’re trying to encourage people to explore and experiment with it,” Valenzuela said.
Each film submitted must include AI-generated video, though there is no minimum threshold. Many entries used a mixed-media approach, combining live-action footage and real-world audio with AI-generated elements.
Creating coherent AI-generated films remains a challenge, often requiring detailed prompts and multiple iterations to produce consistent scenes. However, Valenzuela noted that the quality and realism of AI video have improved over recent years.
Runway encourages the use of its own tools but allows creators to use other AI platforms. Across the industry, tools that generate video from text, images or audio have rapidly advanced and become more accessible.
Joshua Glick, associate professor of film and electronic arts at Bard College, said the festival reflects a broader push by AI companies to gain legitimacy and recognition in Hollywood.
AI is already widely used in the film industry, from de-aging actors and creating stunts to post-production editing and footage sorting.
While AI can boost efficiency and innovation, it has also raised concerns about its impact on workers.
Vanessa Holtgrewe, international vice president of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees, said the union supports new technologies that enhance storytelling but insists AI must not undermine workers’ rights.
Unions including IATSE and the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists continue to negotiate protections for members as AI adoption grows.
Valenzuela said the festival aims to show how AI can support, rather than replace, creative professionals.
“It’s natural to fear change ... (But) it’s important to understand what you can do with it,” he said.
AI Film Festival in New York featured 10 short films from 6,000 global submissions
Jacob Adler’s “Total Pixel Space” won the top prize
Finalist films will also screen in Los Angeles and Paris
Source: AP NEWS