Oct 16 & 17
Austin, TX
2nd Annual
AI Film Festival
AAIFF 2026
Highlights from the 2025 Festival
What to Expect
Two days of the best hybrid and generative films, with the filmmakers walking through how each one got made. Plus keynotes, panels, and a virtual GenJam the weekend before.
Our Community
Directors, writers, producers, editors, animators, VFX artists, brand and advertising creatives, and technologists.
This is where we meet.
Our Mission
We showcase bold creators using AI to build richer experiences for their audience.
The Lineup
AI filmmaker delivering high-end work for Google DeepMind, Taylor Swift, and Nissan, and leader of Europe's most comprehensive AI creative program at Berghs School of Communication.
Founder, Boman Studios
Pioneering AI director who produced the first generative AI VFX for a feature film and the D&AD-winning first generative AI commercial. LinkedIn Learning's first generative AI instructor, reaching 2M+ learners, and featured on CBS's 60 Minutes.
Founder & CEO, EVRN
Creative technologist behind many of AI's industry-defining firsts, including the first-ever AI commercial, the first AI short to earn U.S. copyright, and Critterz, the world's first AI-animated family feature film.
Co-founder & CCO, Native Foreign
Filmmaker and creative director building original films, series, and worlds at ODD KID, including the animated series Junkyard King and the feature The Light Within. Former Resident Filmmaker at Google Labs, with leadership roles at Dogstudio and DEPT®.
Founder, ODD KID
Multidisciplinary creative director leading Exact's Narrative Division, building expansive visual worlds and scalable production systems, and creator of its flagship original IP, The Zim.
Co-founder & CCO, Exact
Award-winning producer and studio executive, formerly Head of Production at Disney+, Paramount Television, and AMC Networks, with credits including The Mandalorian, Loki, and Breaking Bad. Now founder and CEO of StageRunner, a global soundstage marketplace and media platform.
Founder & CEO, StageRunner
Visionary director and creative technologist recognized with 22 Cannes Lions, 29 Clios, and an Emmy. A veteran of major studio franchises and groundbreaking immersive experiences.
Co-founder & CCO/CTIO, GRAiL
CEO of Infinite Studios and former TikTok leader who built Creator Marketplace from zero to 2M creators and launched TikTok Symphony, its generative AI ads platform.
Co-founder & CEO, Infinite Studios
Award-winning feature film director (The Forest) and pioneer at the frontier of AI filmmaking. Jason blends Hollywood-caliber storytelling with cutting-edge generative workflows to build original IP.
Founder & CCO, Secret Level
Director and creative director behind award-winning work for Adidas, Google, Meta, and PlayStation, now running Elevado, a hybrid live-action and AI studio. Creator of Prospex Park, the retro-future AI portrait series featured in Ad Age and i-D.
Co-founder & CCO, Elevado Studio
Italian interdisciplinary artist working across experimental cinema, digital animation, AI, installation, and performance, often exploring how society shapes gender. Her work has shown at the WRO Biennale, the Guggenheim Bilbao, the Japan Media Arts Festival, and MAXXI Rome.
Founder, Studio Fini Architettura & Design
Executive creative director, creative technologist, and Advisory Board Member of Austin AI Film Festival. His 20+ year career spans motion design, VFX, production, immersive media, AR/VR/XR, experiential design, brand systems, and responsible AI-enabled creative workflows.
Founder, GRAFX & Partner, Dreamspace
The Lineup
Award-winning director, cinematographer, and producer whose time-lapse imagery spans five decades. Credits include Fantastic Fungi, Disneynature's Wings of Life, National Geographic's Mysteries of the Unseen World, and Disney's Soarin' Around the World, plus TED talks viewed 60M+ times.
Director & Cinematographer · Creator, Moving Art
Two-time Oscar-winning production designer for Avatar and Lincoln, and a longtime collaborator of Steven Spielberg and Robert Zemeckis. His worlds include Jurassic Park, Back to the Future Part II and III, Forrest Gump, The Fabelmans, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens.
Production Designer
Film and TV executive, producer, and director. Former Head of Creative for Documentaries at A24 and Head of Nonfiction at Media Res, with credits including VAL, The Sixth, and Netflix's Peabody-winning High on the Hog. Founder of 108 Pictures.
Producer & Director · Founder, 108 Pictures
Generative AI filmmaker with roots in painting, photography, writing, and music, making surreal, horror-tinged films that blend monsters, gaming, and social commentary. Creator of the viral Cryptid Dating Game series and a growing universe of original AI films and IP.
Generative AI Artist & Filmmaker
Award-winning medical journalist, documentary filmmaker, and host of the podcast Brain In Progress. A former CNN and CBS affiliate reporter, her work has earned a National Edward R. Murrow Award, a Lone Star Emmy, and an Amnesty International Human Rights Award.
Medical Journalist & Filmmaker · Founder, Global Voice Productions
The Program
A virtual GenJam the weekend before, then two days at Zach Theater built around the craft, the people making hybrid and generative cinema, and the work they’re putting on screen.
Day One
Day One goes deep on how AI films get made. Keynotes, panels, and masterclasses with the community and platforms shaping the craft, every session led by people doing the work.
Day Two
Day Two is the films, and the people who made them. We screen the Official Selection and the year’s standout work, and after each block the filmmakers come up and walk through how it was built. The awards show closes the night.
Virtual
GenJam is a virtual event running the weekend before the festival, putting the tools in filmmakers’ hands. Workshops led by the platforms behind the work, live builds, and time to learn alongside peers and mentors, from wherever you are.
Register for GenJamRoadmap
Apr 15
Submissions opened
Submissions for AAIFF 2026 went live.
Reserve your seatJul 15
Selection Committee closed
The Selection Committee is closed.
Reserve your seatAug 15
Early bird tickets
Submissions are closed. Early bird tickets are on sale through Sept 15.
Reserve your seatSept 15
Regular tickets
Early bird sales end. Regular ticket sales begin.
Reserve your seatOct 16 & 17
The festival
Two days at Zach Theater. The films, the filmmakers, the awards.
Tickets on sale
Early bird prices are live. October 16 & 17 at Zach Theater.
“The Austin AI Film Festival is more than a festival; it's a gathering of a passionate community pushing the boundaries of AI-driven cinema, fostering collaboration, and ensuring that technology serves creativity, not the other way around.”
Amaru Zeas-Siguenza
Creative Director, Griptape AI
“In just its first year, this festival has already established itself as a premier event in the AI filmmaking space, setting a high standard for the future.”
Kavan Cardoza
Co-Founder & AI Director, Phantom X
“The event was very beautiful, well organized, full of interesting panels and a great place to connect with other creators. I loved it.”
Rafael Beck
Artist and AI Film Director
“I'd like to highlight the love and care that I've received from this festival; great communication, a lot of respect for the submitted films.”
Santiago Hernandez
Creative Director and AI Film Director
“It was an honor to participate and attend. I learned so much, saw many references, and made great connections — truly amazing.”
Bruno Bock
YouTube Creator and AI Film Director
“Huge congrats for orchestrating a successful festival in what I'm sure will be an international staple in the AI film community and festival circuit.”
Simon von Elgg
Designer and Film Director
AAIFF is a Texas 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Your gift is tax-deductible.
Be part of the team that makes the festival happen on the ground.
For sponsors, media, partnerships, or anything else.
