AI Toronto Shorts is looking for AI-made short films to screen live in Toronto this November, with jury and audience awards across seven craft categories.

Toronto is getting a dedicated night for AI-made cinema. Easy Life Studio, led by Festival Director Oskar Pilarski, has opened submissions for AI Toronto Shorts, a curated screening event on 8 November 2026 where selected films will play to a live audience and be assessed by both a jury and the crowd. The format sits somewhere between a film festival and a showcase evening, with awards handed out across seven distinct craft categories rather than a single best-film prize.

The event is positioned as a celebration of AI as a genuine production tool, not a novelty. Filmmakers and teams are invited to submit work where AI forms a meaningful part of the creative process, with no restriction on which specific tools were used. That openness to the full range of current AI tools, from image generation to voice synthesis to post-production pipelines, suggests the organisers are interested in breadth of approach.

What to submit

Submissions must be short films of up to 30 minutes in length. AI must be a meaningful part of the production, though the page does not specify a minimum percentage or particular workflow. Any AI tools are permitted. Each filmmaker or team is limited to one submission. The festival date is 8 November 2026 in Toronto, Canada.

Prize structure

The prizes are laurels and trophies across seven craft categories. No cash prize is stated on the official page. If prize money matters to your decision to enter, it would be worth confirming directly with the organisers before submission. The prestige value here is primarily the live screening, jury recognition, and audience award, all in a physical Toronto venue.

Entry fee and submission route

Submissions are handled through FilmFreeway at filmfreeway.com/torontoaishorts. The official page notes "See FilmFreeway" for the entry fee, which means a fee may apply but the amount is not published on the contest listing itself. Check the FilmFreeway page before submitting to confirm current tier pricing, as festival submission fees often vary by submission date.

Terms worth reading

The contest page does not publish a detailed terms document, so specific rights and licence conditions are not visible from the listing. Before submitting, it is worth confirming with the organisers or reviewing any terms presented during the FilmFreeway submission flow, particularly around screening rights, whether selected films may be used in promotional materials, and what credit obligations apply. The listing does not indicate any broad intellectual property transfer, but absence of visible terms is itself worth noting.

Submissions opened 22 July 2026. The deadline is 14 October 2026. With no cutoff time published, submit at least a day ahead to avoid last-minute platform issues. The official contest listing is maintained at aifilmcontests.com/contests/ai-toronto-shorts-2026 and verified regularly against the organiser's page.

Source: https://aifilmcontests.com/contests/ai-toronto-shorts-2026