A Louisiana screening for AI-assisted short films closes entries on 16 October, with laurels but no cash on offer
AI New Orleans SHORTS will screen selected films in Marrero, Louisiana on 31 October 2026. Final entries close on 16 October. Prizes are laurels only, and the fee is set on FilmFreeway.
If you have a finished short film where AI did real, describable work, there is one day left to get it in front of a room of strangers in Louisiana. AI New Orleans SHORTS, a first-year event, closes its final entry window on 16 October 2026, and the films it selects will play to an audience in person.
The screening takes place on 31 October 2026 in Marrero, Louisiana, with a Q&A attached. There is no premiere requirement, so a film that has already played online or elsewhere can still be submitted. What the organisers want is honesty about method: the AI has to have played a genuine part in the script, the images, the voice, the score or the edit, and you have to say so.
What you submit
The event takes short films, experimental work and music videos. Entry is open worldwide and any genre is welcome. Your film must run 20 minutes or under including credits, and it must have been completed on or after 1 January 2024.
Any AI tools are allowed. The one firm requirement is disclosure: the role AI played must be explained in your submission notes. A vague line saying you used AI will probably serve you less well than a short, specific account of which tools handled which stage.
Submissions go through FilmFreeway, on the official entry page. The organiser's listing on AI Film Contests carries the full summary.
Prize structure
The prize is laurels across seven award categories. No cash prize is published anywhere on the page, so treat this as a recognition and screening opportunity, not a payout. The page does not list the seven categories by name, only the three submission categories above, so check FilmFreeway for the award breakdown before you enter.
The value here is the in-person screening itself: a live audience, a Q&A, and a laurel to put on the poster if your film is selected.
Terms worth reading
The entry fee is not stated on the contest page. It says only to see FilmFreeway, so the cost of the final window, called Cutting Loose, is something you will need to confirm there before you commit. Earlier windows have already closed: the early deadline was 1 September and the regular deadline was 26 September, so the final window is the only one left.
The page does not publish rights terms, licence wording or any statement about who owns the submitted films. That is not a warning in itself, but it means you should read the FilmFreeway rules and terms for the event before you pay, particularly any clause covering screening rights or promotional use of clips.
Because the event is in person, selection means a physical screening in Marrero. The page does not say whether filmmakers need to attend or whether remote participation is possible in the Q&A, so ask the organisers if that affects you.
Deadline and practical notes
The final deadline is 16 October 2026. The page gives no cutoff time or timezone, so submit with a day in hand if you can, which at this point means today. The listing was last verified on 5 October 2026, so confirm on FilmFreeway that the window is still open before you pay.
Before you start, have ready: your final film file, a short disclosure note describing exactly where AI was used, and the entry fee.