Red Clay Cinema

Red Clay Cinema Virtual AI Film Festival

AI films. Global filmmakers. A new kind of cinema.

Celebrating filmmakers who use artificial intelligence as part of the creative process.

Submit Your AI Film on FilmFreeway

About the festival

Why AI filmmaking?

The Red Clay Cinema Virtual AI Film Festival is an international online film festival celebrating filmmakers who are using artificial intelligence as part of the filmmaking process.

From fully AI-generated films to innovative productions that combine AI with traditional filmmaking, we are looking for bold stories, original ideas, and filmmakers exploring what is possible when technology becomes part of the creative process.

This is a fully virtual festival, bringing AI filmmakers and audiences together from around the world.

Open call

What we are looking for

We welcome films that demonstrate creativity and meaningful use of artificial intelligence in the filmmaking process.

  • Fully AI-generated films
  • Experimental films and abstract cinema
  • Science fiction, action, fantasy, drama, comedy, horror, and thriller
  • Documentary or documentary-style work

Why this festival

The story still matters

01

Dedicated Film Page

Each selected film can receive its own page on Red Clay Cinema with the film, synopsis, filmmaker information, credits, and promotional materials.

02

Global Online Exposure

Selected films are presented to an international online audience through Red Clay Cinema.

03

Year-Round Visibility

Selected films may remain available beyond the festival as part of Red Clay Cinema's ongoing AI film programming.

12-month Red Clay Cinema spotlight

The Festival Doesn't End When the Festival Ends.

Officially selected AI films can receive continued online visibility on Red Clay Cinema — with dedicated pages, filmmaker profiles, and year-round discovery beyond the festival period.

  1. Festival
  2. Premiere
  3. Red Clay Cinema
  4. Audience
  5. Continued Discovery

A festival should not be the end of a film's journey. It should be the beginning of its audience.

Programming

Festival Categories

AI Narrative Short Film

Open to narrative short films that use artificial intelligence as a meaningful part of the filmmaking process.

AI Feature Film

Open to feature-length films that substantially incorporate artificial intelligence into their production or creative process.

AI Documentary / Nonfiction

For documentary and nonfiction works that incorporate artificial intelligence into the filmmaking process.

Recognition

Awards & Prizes

Best AI Film

Awarded to the film demonstrating exceptional overall storytelling, creativity, and artistic achievement through the use of artificial intelligence.

Best AI Director

Awarded to a filmmaker demonstrating outstanding creative vision and direction.

Best AI Cinematography

Awarded for outstanding visual storytelling and cinematographic achievement using AI-generated or AI-assisted techniques.

Best AI Screenplay / Story

Awarded for exceptional storytelling, writing, character development, and originality.

Best AI Visual Effects

Awarded for outstanding creative and technical achievement in AI-generated or AI-assisted visual effects.

Additional awards or special recognitions may be announced based on the quality and diversity of submissions.

Timeline

Dates & Deadlines

Mark your calendar — submissions open through early 2027, leading up to festival day on June 6, 2027.

  1. Submission

    Early registration

  2. Submission

    Regular deadline

  3. Submission

    Extended deadline

  4. Announcement

    Official Selection Announcement

  5. Announcement

    Award Winners Announcement

  6. Festival

    Festival date

How to enter

Submission Requirements

01

AI Requirement

Films must use artificial intelligence as a meaningful part of the filmmaking or creative process — for images, video, characters, environments, animation, VFX, cinematography, editing, sound, music, voice, script development, or other creative elements.

02

Master Film File

Submit a high-quality master version of your film. Accepted format: MP4.

03

English Subtitles

All films must include an accurate, synchronized English .srt subtitle file. English-language films are also required to provide English subtitles.

04

Official Trailer

Submit a high-resolution trailer, preferably between 1–2 minutes. Accepted format: MP4.

05

Film Information

Provide film title, logline, synopsis, director information, cast and crew, production year, runtime, country, genre, and AI tools or technologies used.

06

Filmmaker Materials

Where available: director biography, director statement, filmmaker headshot, film poster, character images, and AI creation/process images.

07

Rights & Clearances

Entrants must own or control the necessary rights to the submitted film and all included music, performances, footage, images, voices, likenesses, AI-generated materials, and other creative assets.

Creative process

AI Disclosure

Because AI filmmaking can involve many different workflows, filmmakers should provide a brief description of how artificial intelligence was used in their film. This information may be displayed on the film's Red Clay Cinema page.

Example — AI Tools Used: Runway, Midjourney, ElevenLabs, Suno. AI Usage: environment generation, character animation, visual effects, voice generation, and music.

The festival does not endorse or require any particular AI platform. We judge the film, not simply the technology used to create it.

Before you submit

Submission, Streaming & Promotional Rights

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By submitting a film to the Red Clay Cinema Virtual AI Film Festival, the entrant represents that they have the necessary rights and authority to submit the film and grants Red Clay Cinema a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to exhibit, stream, promote, and feature the submitted film and associated promotional materials as part of the festival and Red Clay Cinema platform.

For films selected as Official Selections, this license includes the right for Red Clay Cinema to:

  • Stream or exhibit the film on Red Clay Cinema for up to 12 months following the festival.
  • Create and maintain a dedicated film page.
  • Use trailers, stills, posters, filmmaker headshots, character materials, biographies, director statements, and other submitted promotional materials to promote the film and filmmaker.
  • Feature the film and associated materials on the Red Clay Cinema website, social media, newsletters, and promotional campaigns.
  • Include the film in future Red Clay Cinema AI film programming, showcases, or festival-related activities.
  • Retain promotional materials on Red Clay Cinema after the streaming period as part of the festival's historical archive and promotional record.

Tell your story. Experiment. Take risks.

Submit your film to the Red Clay Cinema Virtual AI Film Festival and join a global community exploring the future of filmmaking.

Submit Your AI Film on FilmFreeway