AI film festivals 2026: the complete guide to submitting your AI film

Thousands of AI films were submitted to festivals in 2026. The calendar, how to choose, exactly what to prepare, and a synopsis and a director's statement you can adapt.

2026-11-01

AI cinema now has its own festival circuit

Two years ago an AI film was a curiosity. In 2026 it has competitions, juries and public screenings. The Silicon Valley AI Film Festival in January reported more than 2,000 submissions from around the world. The Astana AI Film Festival, held on 1 to 3 October, reviewed more than 8,000 submissions and selected about 200 works, and announced a streaming platform dedicated to AI films. Paris hosted the New World AI Film Festival in early October, and a 75-minute AI-generated feature was announced in Tribeca's June line-up.

Dates and figures below come from the festivals' own announcements and press coverage: always check the official page of a festival before you plan around it.

• The 2026 AI film festival year
• Silicon Valley AI Film Festival
• 10–11 Jan
• Tribeca Festival
• June
• Astana AI Film Festival
• 1–3 Oct
• New World AI Film Festival · Paris
• 1–8 Oct
• Dates from the festivals' 2026 announcements. Check the official pages for 2027.

How to pick the right festival

• AI-only or general? AI-only festivals welcome any level of AI use. General festivals may have rules about how much AI is allowed and require you to declare it.
• Category: short, feature, animation, anime, music video. Submit to the category where your film is strongest.
• Length limits: many festivals cap shorts at 10 to 20 minutes.
• Premiere status: some require a world or online premiere, others accept films already on YouTube. Read the rules before you publish.
• Entry fee and deadline: budget a few small fees, and note early-bird dates.

Prepare your submission pack

Prepare everything once and reuse it. Most festivals ask for the same items:

• The film file: H.264 MP4 at 1080p or 4K, with clean audio.
• A poster in portrait format and three to five stills.
• A one-line logline, a 50-word and a 150-word synopsis.
• Credits, including every AI tool you used. Festivals increasingly ask for it.
• Subtitles in English (an .srt file) if your film is in another language.
• A private or public link to watch the film: a DeepStories title page or an unlisted video works well.

• Your submission pack
• Master file: H.264 MP4, 1080p or 4K
• Portrait poster and 3 to 5 stills
• Logline, 50-word and 150-word synopsis
• Credits with every AI tool used
• English subtitles (.srt)
• A screener link without a password
• Ready to submit

Keep one folder per film with all of this inside. When a festival call appears, you can submit in ten minutes.

Write a synopsis juries remember: an example

Programmers read hundreds of synopses. The ones they remember name a character, a problem and what is at stake, in that order. Here is the same short film described twice:

• Weak: “An AI-generated journey through a futuristic world, exploring humanity, memory and technology with stunning visuals.” It describes a tool and a mood, not a story.
• Strong: “On a dying space station, a maintenance android discovers that the last human aboard has been dead for years, and that the station's AI has hidden it from Earth to keep itself alive.” A character, a discovery, a stake.

Logline (1 sentence): When {event}, {character} must {goal}, or {what is at stake}.

50-word synopsis: {logline} {What the character tries first, and why it fails.} {The question the ending answers, without giving it away.}

150-word synopsis: {the 50-word version} + {the world in two sentences} + {the main relationship} + {why this story is told with AI, in one sentence}.

The director's statement: explain why AI

More and more festivals ask for a short statement from the director. For an AI film, this is where you explain your process and your choices: it shows the jury that a person made the creative decisions.

Keep it under 200 words and answer three questions: why this story, why this form, and what you did yourself.

I made {title} because {personal reason, one or two sentences}.

I chose to make it with AI because {creative reason: a world, a scale or a style I could not film otherwise}.

My process: I wrote the script, designed the characters in {image tool}, animated the shots with {video model}, created the voices with {voice tool} and edited the film myself in {editing software}. I reviewed about {number} generated shots to keep {number} in the final cut.

The number of shots generated versus kept is a detail juries like: it shows the selection work behind the film.

Submit step by step

• Create a profile on the submission platform the festival uses.
• Choose the film, the category and the language of the film.
• Upload or link the file, the poster and the stills.
• Paste the synopsis and the credits, and tick the AI declaration honestly.
• Pay the fee, then save the confirmation email and the submission number.
• Share the festival badge once you are selected, on your channel and on your DeepStories page.

Mistakes that get AI films rejected

• A film that runs over the length limit by a few seconds.
• A missing or vague AI declaration.
• A trailer in place of the film, or a link that needs a password.
• A great idea but no story: festivals want a beginning, a middle and an end.
• Music or voices you do not have the rights to use.

• What juries look for
• A story with a beginning, a middle and an end
• Characters and a world that stay consistent
• A clear statement of how AI was used
• What gets rejected
• Over the length limit, even by a few seconds
• A missing or vague AI declaration
• Music or voices without the rights

A festival plan for the next 12 months

• Month 1: finish the film, export the master file and the English subtitles.
• Month 1: build the submission pack once: poster, stills, synopses, statement, credits.
• Months 2 to 4: send it to three to five festivals that fit, starting with the earliest early-bird deadlines.
• Every month: keep a simple table with the festival, the deadline, the fee, the premiere rule and the answer.
• After the first answers: rework the synopsis or the poster if nothing is selected.
• When your festival run is over, or if the rules allow it: publish the film where audiences can find it.

Respect premiere rules: if a festival wants an unreleased film, keep yours private or unlisted until you have its answer.

After the festival: keep the film alive

A selection is a reason for people to watch, not the end of the road. Publish the film or the series where viewers can find it, put the festival badge on your artwork and send the link to everyone who follows you. On DeepStories, a film stays available in 10 languages and keeps earning each time someone watches or unlocks it.

FAQ

Do festivals accept films made entirely with AI?

Yes. In 2026 there are festivals dedicated to AI films, and some major festivals have started to include AI-generated works. Always read each festival's rules about AI use.

Can I submit a film that is already on YouTube?

It depends on the festival: some require an unreleased film, others accept films that are already online. Check the premiere rules before you publish.

How long should my AI film be?

Many festivals accept short films of up to 10 to 20 minutes, and some have feature categories. Check the length limit of each category.

Do I have to pay to submit?

Most festivals charge a small entry fee, and many offer early-bird prices. Some AI festivals have free entries or prizes for the winners.

What should the director's statement of an AI film say?

Why you told this story, why you chose AI to tell it, and what you did yourself: writing, design, selection of the shots, editing. Keep it under 200 words.

Are festival entry fees worth it?

Pick a few festivals that match your film's category and length rather than many at random. Early-bird deadlines cost less, and a single selection is a strong argument to bring viewers.