A Festival That Screens AI Short Films on YouTube Is Taking Entries Until 10 November

Most film festivals ask you to fly somewhere, sit in a cinema and hope someone important is in the row behind you. The International AI Short Film Festival does it differently. Its screening happens on YouTube, anyone with a connection can watch, and the filmmakers it wants are the ones who have spent the year working out how to tell a story with a machine in the room.

The festival is run by the IASFF Collective and describes itself as a curated showcase for decentralised cinema and human-AI collaborative narrative. Entries are open worldwide, any AI tools are allowed, and the final submission window closes on 10 November 2026. The page gives no cutoff time or timezone, so submit with a day in hand.

What you submit

You enter a short film of up to 30 minutes made through human-AI collaboration. Two categories are listed: Short Film and Experimental. There is no restriction on which AI tools you use.

Every entry must include a Statement of AI Labor. The page does not spell out its format, so check the festival's submission page on Festhome before you upload. In practice it is a written account of what the AI did and what you did, and it is worth drafting before you start filling in forms.

There are two competitions. The International Competition is open to filmmakers anywhere. The National Competition is for India-based filmmakers or members of the Indian diaspora. Entries are made through the official Festhome entry page, and the contest listing has the summary.

Prize structure

This is a recognition prize and not a cash one. The listing names no money, no credits and no funding. What selected filmmakers receive is Official Selection and a place in the biannual YouTube screening, which runs from 8 to 15 December 2026. Selected films also compete for three awards: Best of the Fest, Most Innovative Prompt and Audience Choice. Notification of selection goes out on 25 November 2026.

If you need a prize that pays a bill, this is not that. If you want a public screening, a laurel and a festival credit that signals your film was curated by people who care about this work, it is a fair fit.

Fees and the pricing ladder

Entry is not free, and the price rises with each deadline:

- Early, 25 August: $10
- Standard, 10 October: $15
- Late, 31 October: $20
- Extended, 10 November: $30

The first three windows have now passed, so anyone entering today pays the $30 extended fee. That is a reasonable sum for a festival entry, but it is worth weighing against the absence of any cash prize.

Terms worth reading

The listing does not publish the licence terms, so we cannot tell you what rights the festival takes. Two things follow from the format. Selected films screen publicly on YouTube, so your film will be visible online during the festival window, which matters if you plan a later premiere elsewhere. And the Statement of AI Labor means your methods are disclosed to the festival. Read the full rules on Festhome before paying, particularly anything about screening licences, how long films stay online and who owns the uploaded copy.

Before you enter

Submit by 10 November 2026, and give yourself a day of margin because no cutoff hour is published. Have the film finished, under 30 minutes, with your AI Labor statement drafted. Budget $30 for the entry fee.

Source: International AI Short Film Festival (IASFF) on AI Film Contests