Official-source tracker · checked September 16, 2026
AI Film Festivals
Find a current submission window, understand what is actually verified, and follow finished festival work back to the filmmakers who made it.
How to use this page
A deadline is not an eligibility decision.
Every status below comes from the linked organizer page and carries a check date. “Open” means the official source shows an active window; it does not mean every AI film qualifies. “General festival” means the organizer accepts a relevant film category but does not make a blanket AI-policy statement on the cited overview.
Before spending money, read the complete current rules. Match the film’s runtime, completion date, country, premiere history, public availability, rights record, screener, and AI disclosure to the exact category.
Current submission board
Four windows are open.
Dates can change after publication. Use each card to reach the official source, then verify its form and timezone immediately before submission.
AI International Film Festival
Regular deadline: September 21, 2026
Verified timing. The official site links to FilmFreeway, says the next submitted program screens November 14, and describes blind judging. Its public overview does not state a deadline timezone, so verify the platform clock before paying.
AI-film context. Built specifically around AI-related film, series, micro-drama, music-video, and adjacent categories. Read the live FilmFreeway category and rights terms for the exact entry you choose.
Review the live call ↗Sundance Film Festival 2027
Feature-film late deadline: September 21, 2026
Verified timing. The official 2027 page lists the short-film deadline as August 31 and both episodic deadlines as September 11. Only the feature deadline remains on this snapshot date.
AI-film context. Sundance's submission overview does not create a special AI-film category or blanket AI eligibility rule. Match the film to the correct feature category, then read the current Rules & Regulations and ask programming when the film's AI use creates uncertainty.
Check Sundance categories ↗SXSW Film & TV Festival 2027
Final deadline: October 1, 2026 · 11:59 p.m. PT
Verified timing. SXSW lists feature, narrative/documentary/animated short, TV, XR, and music-video routes. It requires a working secure online link and says it will review the first submitted cut rather than a later replacement.
AI-film context. The official submission page does not advertise a separate AI-film category. Treat AI use as production context to disclose accurately, not as proof that the project fits every category or premiere rule.
Open SXSW submissions ↗Slamdance Film Festival 2027
Submissions close: October 6, 2026
Verified timing. The official call accepts films from every country across features, shorts, episodes, and Digital, Interactive and Gaming work. Festival dates are February 18–24, 2027.
AI-film context. The published overview does not state a universal AI policy. Category-specific limits still control, including feature budget, distribution, runtime, and director-experience rules where applicable.
Review Slamdance rules ↗Plan ahead and study the archive
One scheduled call. Two completed editions.
AI for Good Film Festival 2027
Submission window: January 15–May 1, 2027
The official schedule sets a May 1 deadline at 23:59 CEST. Eligible films must be completed between September 1, 2026 and May 1, 2027, run 1–10 minutes, and use AI as a core filmmaking component without needing to be entirely AI-generated.
Use this carefully. The rules require original work, transparent AI use, proper licenses and releases, English subtitles when needed, and one entry per team. A finalist's film must not be fully available online before the event.
Read the 2027 guidelines ↗Runway AI Festival 2026
2026 winners and criteria remain published
The 2026 film track required a 3–15 minute fully contained linear narrative containing generative video. The official page now presents winners and the archived criteria.
Use this carefully. No later call is inferred from the 2026 archive. Use it to understand the last published format and to watch documented work; wait for a new official edition before planning against future dates.
View the official archive ↗Reply AI Film Festival 2026
Extended deadline was June 2, 2026
Reply's official page required a movie generated or enhanced through AI plus a document explaining the AI use. It now documents the finalist, community-vote, premiere, and winner phase of the 2026 edition.
Use this carefully. The 2026 call allowed traditional filmmaking alongside AI, but those terms should not be carried into an unannounced future edition. Recheck the official page before preparing a new submission.
Review the 2026 edition ↗Submission timing
Work backward from the deadline.
- 01
Four weeks out
Freeze the target list. Compare categories, premiere rules, completion windows, runtime definitions, fees, refund terms, and AI-disclosure questions.
- 02
Two weeks out
Lock the cut and credits. Test captions, private screener access, passwords, artwork, synopsis, director biography, rights records, and AI-use statement.
- 03
Three days out
Reopen the official rules. Confirm the timezone and category, test the exact link while signed out, and leave room for payment or upload problems.
- 04
After submission
Save the receipt, answers, submitted cut, screener credentials, and rules version. Track notification, delivery, event, and premiere obligations separately.
Festival films in the catalog
Watch the work, then meet its creator.
These are documented catalog records with festival or competition context. Recognition is reported only where the existing film record and official-source research support it; it is not a claim about current eligibility.
Tairell Isn't Real
Creator: Dave Clark →Total Pixel Space
Creator: Jacob Adler →JAILBIRD
Creator: Andrew Salter →Feast
Creator: Alex Naghavi →BEATRICE
Creator: OLD NEW RARE →TO THE VOID
Creator: YZA Voku →Submit with evidence
One film. One verified master record.
Use consistent title, runtime, credits, completion date, synopsis, AI disclosure, source link, and rights status across every application. Adapt the answer to each form without changing the underlying facts.
Festival tracker questions
What the status labels do—and do not—mean.
Does a listing here mean my film is eligible?
No. This hub records what an official source published on the check date. Eligibility depends on the current edition, category, runtime, completion date, premiere history, entrant status, rights terms, and the film's actual AI use.
Why are general festivals included?
An AI-generated or AI-assisted film may fit an ordinary narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, episodic, feature, or short-film route. These entries are clearly labeled general festivals because their overview pages do not create blanket AI eligibility.
Why keep closed festivals on the page?
A closed official edition is useful for studying past criteria, selected work, disclosure expectations, and programming context. It is labeled closed so an old date is never mistaken for an active call.
Should I publish my film before submitting?
Not until the target festival's premiere and public-availability rules have been checked. A public player, festival screening, broadcast, or paid release can change eligibility for some editions and categories.
How often should I recheck a deadline?
Reopen the official page immediately before paying or submitting. Confirm the date, time, timezone, fee, category, accepted screener, and rules version; save the submitted form and receipt with the project records.
We link to organizer-controlled pages and date every review. We do not invent future editions, carry old rules forward, imply acceptance, or convert a public deadline into legal or eligibility advice. Read our verification policy or report a changed official page through the submission form.