Seoul's first K-Culture AI Film Festival will screen up to ten selected works in Gangnam this September
KCAIF 2026 is an inaugural festival pairing Korean cultural heritage with AI filmmaking. Selected works screen at enTravel, Gangnam on 6 September, judged by Seoul National University directors.
Seoul is hosting its first dedicated festival at the crossroads of Korean cultural heritage and AI-generated cinema. The K-Culture AI International Film Festival (KCAIF) 2026 will take place on 6 September at enTravel in Gangnam, and organisers are accepting submissions globally through FilmFreeway until 15 August 2026. That deadline is very close, with roughly eighteen hours remaining at the time of writing, so any filmmaker considering entry should move immediately.
The festival is organised by the KCAIF Organizing Committee and positions itself as a cultural bridge: AI-assisted or AI-generated films that engage with Korean culture, aesthetics, or identity. Up to ten works will be selected for the official programme and screened publicly at the Gangnam venue. The jury draws from Seoul National University directors, established film critics, and AI specialists, giving the selection panel a grounding in both cinematic tradition and emerging technology.
What to submit
The festival accepts AI short films and AI cinema works that connect meaningfully with K-Culture themes. Any AI tools are permitted in production. Entries are submitted through FilmFreeway, and the official festival site is www.kcaif.net. The organisers list the category tags as ai short film, ai cinema, and k-culture, which suggests thematic relevance to Korean cultural heritage is expected rather than optional.
Prize structure
The prize here is recognition and exhibition, not cash. Selected filmmakers receive:
- Official selection status in the inaugural KCAIF programme
- Public screening at enTravel, Gangnam, Seoul on 6 September 2026
- Jury credit from Seoul National University directors and prominent film critics
- Visibility across K-Culture and AI cultural heritage communities
There is no cash award listed on the official page. Filmmakers motivated primarily by monetary return should weigh that accordingly.
Terms worth reading
Entry fees follow FilmFreeway's tiered pricing structure, which typically varies by submission window and film runtime. Fees are not listed on the contest page itself, so check the FilmFreeway listing directly before submitting to confirm the current tier cost. The official page does not detail rights arrangements, so review the FilmFreeway submission agreement and any KCAIF-specific terms at aifilmcontests.com/contests/kcaif-2026 and on the festival's own site before uploading your work. As with most festival submissions via FilmFreeway, you are typically granting the festival a non-exclusive licence to screen your work if selected, but confirm this in the terms presented at submission.
Eligibility is international and open globally. AI tools of any kind are permitted, which removes a barrier that some other festivals impose.
The submission deadline is 15 August 2026, with no cutoff time published. Given the eighteen-hour window noted on the contest tracker, submit before midnight Seoul time (KST, UTC+9) on 15 August to be safe. The festival event itself follows on 6 September 2026 in Gangnam, Seoul.
Apply through FilmFreeway via the official KCAIF page or the contest listing.
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Source: AI Film Contests, KCAIF 2026