The Reply AI Film Festival – a competitive event aimed at bridging the gap between cinema and AI, and taking place during the Venice Film Festival – has unveiled the selection for its second edition.
The 10 works, produced using new technologies and AI tools, have been selected from 2,500 submissions from 67 countries.
Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness) will chair the jury which will reveal the winners on September 4 in a ceremony at the Hotel Excelsior on the Venice Lido. He is joined on the jury by Rob Minkoff, Caleb and Shelby Ward, Denise Negri, Dave Clark, Charlie Fink, Filippo Rizzante, Caroline Ingeborn, Paolo Moroni and Guillem Martinez Rour among others.
They will hand out four prizes for the Best Use of AI in Filmmaking; the Production Excellence Award, the Lexus Visionary Award, for technological and narrative foresight, and the AI for Good Award, developed with the International Telecommunication Union and honoring stories aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
“The Reply AI Film Festival is a pioneering event showcasing technology and art’s exciting intersection. AI is not a replacement for human creativity, but a catalyst for innovation. It will enable filmmakers to explore new styles, genres, and narratives that were previously unimaginable,” said Muccino.
“As President of the Reply AIFF Jury, I’m honoured to be part of this journey, discovering new talents and celebrating the bold experiments that will shape the future of cinema. The AI revolution is just beginning, and I’m thrilled to be at the forefront of this creative explosion,” he added.
The 10 finalist short films were selected for their ability to explore the this year’s theme of “Generation of Emotions” – and demonstrate how AI can generate authentic and emotionally engaging experiences through cinematic language.
The competition is promoted by Reply, an international group specialising in the creation of new business models enabled by AI and Digital Media.
“What stands out in all the short films from this second edition is a significant leap in quality — not only in the use of AI technologies, but in the ability to apply them to craft engaging, original, and emotionally resonant narratives. The finalists’ work demonstrates how artificial intelligence can become a mature creative tool, serving those who are able to imagine new languages and forms of expression” said Filippo Rizzante, CTO of Reply.
THE 10 FINALIST SHORT FILMS (Synopses provided by Reply AI)
A Million Trillion PathwayAuthors: ROHKI, art collective (US/Japan)A broken swordsman, a grieving immortal, and a cosmic being entwine across timelines to stop an empire built on blood and memory. To save the only family he has left, Hachi must survive his past—and master the demon within.
CarouselAuthor: Andes Aloi, director (Argentina)On a subway, a man and woman envision a relationship, blending memory and fantasy. A visual poem exploring their romance and its collapse, made possible through AI and featuring underwater scenes andextensive locations.
ClownAuthor: Shanshan Jiang, artist and film-maker (UK)In a surreal mix of live-action and AI imagery, the film follows a talented clown who loses her sense of self while seeking audience approval. As she alters her routines, appearance, and personality to cater to the crowd’s demands, the lines between performance and reality become blurred.
Corrupt Data ClanAuthor: Eric Kervern, artist (France)In 1993, Brooklyn gave rise to a revolutionary hip-hop collective, pushing the boundaries of sound and creativity. This captivating documentary celebrates the untold journey of a truly visionary group, which was ahead of its time by thirty years.
InstinctAuthor: Marcello Costa Jr., film-maker (Portugal)A short film that explores what happens when primal survival instincts collide with the demands ofmodern life. It asks a simple but unsettling question: is becoming “civilised” really an upgrade, or does it strip away something essential to who we are?
Love at First SightAuthor: Jacopo Reale, director (Italy)The short movie, entirely created through AI tools, tells the story of a young shepherd meeting a girl who silently observes him from a hill, andcaptures their unspoken connection and the beauty of shyness.
Meme, Myself and AIAuthor: Private Island, production studio (UK)The short movie is a mixed-media film that combines live-action with synthetic visuals and audio, highlighting the exploration of AI’s personification and emphasising that AI is a tool created by humans. The film shows that authenticity comes from both the creators and the audience.
Not ChosenAuthor: Javier Marro, film-maker (Chile)An animated short film that follows a small blue stuffed toy with beige horns, rejected from a prize machine and left unclaimed. As he wanders through the outside world seeking belonging, he faces only indifference and abandonment. Through intimate and silent visuals, the film explores the quiet resilience of those who are overlooked.
The Cinema That Never WasAuthor: Mark Wachholz, director (Germany)A film imagining unmade films – those abandoned or never conceived – and exploring how they might have altered the course of cinematic history. AI tools enable the creation and discovery of these lost ideas, allowing creators to produce visuals, music, and narratives that reflect classic cinema aesthetics.
UN RÊVE LIQUIDEAuthor: Andrea Lommatzsch, artist (Italy)A short movie where AI played a crucial role in transforming an idea into a visual narrative, enabling the creation of images, scenes, and animations. This resulted in a short film with a visual impact that wouldn’t have been possible without AI or a substantial budget.
