Reply AI Film Festival

The Reply competition connecting AI talents with the global cinematic industry.

Reply AI Challenges

Reply AI Challenges

Reply Challenges brings together AI with human creativity, to push new boundaries in creative storytelling, music and video production.

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AI on the big screen

Welcome to the Reply AI Film Festival, the Reply competition that connects AI talents with the global cinematic industry.

The winners of the 2026 edition

1st
Robert Gaudette
2nd
Alex Naghavi & Ezra Li
3rd
2xLabs

Awards celebrating creativity, innovation and social impact

Bringing together the power of technology, storytelling and social impact, this award was presented to “Centenarian Kindergarten” by 2xLabs, the short film that best highlighted the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), while celebrating human creativity in AI-enhanced filmmaking.

Combining generative AI, advanced audio technologies and immersive visual content, the Reply AI Studios Grand Prix was awarded to “Website” by Jiaze Li, the short film that stood out for its technical excellence and innovative use of artificial intelligence throughout the creative process, from advanced model integration to the quality of the final production. A special mention was also awarded to “The Child of the Sea” by Ibai Abad.

By directly involving the community, the “Community Award, powered by WeShort” was presented to “Website” by Jiaze Li, the most popular short film among the Reply AI Film Festival finalists. The initiative gave viewers the opportunity to become jurors for a day and choose their favourite film.

The jury

Experts in AI and visual arts

A team of directors, technology experts and pioneers of artificial intelligence met to evaluate the short films collected and define the winners.

Gabriele Salvatores

Gabriele Salvatores is an Oscar-winning Italian director (Mediterraneo, 1992). Known for Marrakech Express, Nirvana, and I’m Not Scared, he’s a key figure in Italian cinema, blending popular success with bold storytelling.

Rob Minkoff

Rob Minkoff is a renowned American animator, producer, and director. He is best known for co-directing the acclaimed Disney animated feature The Lion King. Minkoff’s other works include Stuart Little, The Haunted Mansion, and Mr. Peabody & Sherman.

Catherine Hardwicke

Catherine Hardwicke is the record-breaking director behind Twilight and Thirteen. Her credits include Lords of Dogtown, Mafia Mamma, and TV's This Is Us. She also worked as a production designer on Vanilla Sky.

Jed Weintrob

Jed Weintrob, with Doug Liman and Julina Tatlock at 30 Ninjas, leads AI-driven immersive storytelling, pushing tech and imagination to create groundbreaking experiences showcased at Sundance, Tribeca, Cannes, and Venice.

Christina Lee Storm

Head of Studio, Narrative at Secret Level, award-winning producer, and former Netflix & DreamWorks Executive on Avatar: The Last Airbender & How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World. Television Academy Governor.

Nils Hartmann

Executive Vice President at Sky Studios Italy, Nils Hartmann leads the production of hit originals like Gomorrah, The Young Pope, and M. With 25 years in TV, he has led scripted content for both Sky Italia and Sky Deutschland.

Filippo Rizzante

Filippo Rizzante is the CTO and member of the Board of Directors at Reply. With a strong focus on exploring new frontiers, he leads technological innovation and oversees global partnerships. He holds a Computer Engineering degree.

Jacopo Reale

Jacopo Reale is an Italian AI Creative Director and Film Editor focused on AI-driven cinematic storytelling, and winner of the 2025 Reply AI Film Festival.

Guillem Martínez Roura

Guillem Martínez Roura is AI & Robotics Programme Officer at ITU’s AI for Good, the United Nations’ leading platform on Artificial Intelligence to solve global challenges.

Giacomo Mineo

Giacomo Mineo is a VFX Supervisor with 20+ years’ experience across major film and TV productions, including Oppenheimer, The Odyssey, Devs and Furiosa, with an Emmy nomination for Devs.

Brian Welk

Brian is a Senior Reporter at IndieWire covering film, festivals, and awards. He previously worked at TheWrap and has reported on major industry events including the Oscars and Sundance.

Denise Negri

Denise Negri, a renowned journalist at Sky TG24, covers prestigious cinema events like the Academy Awards, Cannes, and Venice film festivals. A respected media figure, she is also a presenter at Sky Arte.

Première Partner

Premium Partner

AI Technical Partner

Community Partners

THE PREMIERE EVENT

A unique experience in Venice

Thanks to the collaboration with Mastercard, which has long been committed to connecting people with their passions and supporting emerging talent, the Reply AI Film Festival finalists had the opportunity to enjoy an exclusive experience during the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.

Welcomed by Reply and Mastercard, they took part in a dedicated Première Event, where they presented their short films to the jury and shared the creative journeys that brought them to the final. The day concluded with the announcement of the winners, celebrating the projects that stood out for their creativity, innovation and ability to explore the new possibilities offered by artificial intelligence in filmmaking.

Look back at past editions

Reply AI Film Festival 2025

After the first edition, focused on "Synthetic Stories, Human Hearts", the theme for the second edition is 'Generation of Emotions', celebrating the potential of AI in creating cinematic experiences capable of evoking genuine emotions.

Reply AI Film Festival 2024

The Reply AI Film Festival is an international competition where AI represents an innovative component of creative storytelling and involves the younger generation in the production of videos and films.

See how we create with AI

Reply AI Studios

At Reply AI Studios, we are committed to pioneering content creation through innovative techniques and cutting-edge technologies.