A Seoul film festival is taking AI-made work in 16 categories, with entry from $10 and a trophy ceremony in Gangnam

A film festival in Seoul wants your AI-made work, and it has sliced its competition into 16 categories so that a music video, a commercial and an experimental piece are not forced to fight the same short film for attention. The K-Culture AI International Film Festival, known as KCAIF, returns for a 2027 edition run by the Korea AI Film Festival Association, with a ceremony on 1 May 2027.

The pitch is breadth. Categories run from AI Direction to AI Commercials, there is a dedicated student category, and international entries are explicitly welcome. Any AI tool is allowed, provided AI is a significant creative element in the finished work. Winners are invited to an in-person trophy ceremony in Gangnam, Seoul.

The official listing gives the final cutoff as 10 April 2027, with an earlybird window closing on 31 January 2027. Entries go through FilmFreeway on the festival's submission page.

What you submit

You can enter work completed on or after 1 January 2025, so films you have already finished and shelved are eligible. AI must be a significant creative element, though the page does not define how that is judged. Each entrant may submit a maximum of two works, and only one per category.

The categories listed on the page include Short Film, Music Video, Commercial and Experimental, among 16 in total. The listing does not spell out the full set, so check the FilmFreeway page for the complete list and for runtime limits and format requirements, which the listing does not state.

Prize structure

The prizes are awards and recognition, not cash. The listing names a Grand Prize, Gold, Silver and Bronze Awards, Honorable Mention and a Special Jury Award, spread across the 16 categories. It does not publish any cash sum, funding or tool credits. What winners get is a trophy, presented at an in-person ceremony in Gangnam. Travel and accommodation are not mentioned, so assume you would be paying your own way if you attend.

Entry fees

This is a paid-entry festival. The tiers on the listing are:

- Earlybird: $15 ($10 for Gold members)
- Regular, late and final: $20 ($15 for Gold members)
- Student: $15

The listing does not explain what Gold membership is or what it costs, so check that before assuming the discount applies to you. Two entries at the regular rate would cost $40 before any membership saving.

Terms worth reading

The tracker page does not reproduce the festival's licence or rights terms, so there is nothing here to confirm either way on ownership of your work, screening rights or promotional use. Before paying, read the rules on the FilmFreeway page, particularly anything about public screening, online release of selected films and use of your work in festival promotion. Also check whether the festival expects you to disclose which AI tools you used.

Dates and practical notes

Earlybird closes 31 January 2027 and the final cutoff is 10 April 2027. No cutoff time or timezone is published, so submit at least a day early. The festival itself takes place on 1 May 2027 in Seoul. The tracker last verified the page on 1 October 2026, so confirm the dates on FilmFreeway before you pay.

Source: AI Film Contests, K-Culture AI International Film Festival (KCAIF) 2027