Abstract AI Art

THE FUTURE OF CINEMA IS HERE

AI FILM
FESTIVAL
JAPAN 2026

Where cutting-edge AI technology and human creativity intersect—the next frontier of cinematic expression. Welcome to Asia's largest celebration of AI filmmaking!

Oct 31 (Sat) - Nov 2 (Mon), 2026 @ Tokyo

AIFJ 2026 Expands
+

Announcing Official Partnerships

AI Film Japan Inc., the organizer of the AI Film Festival Japan (AIFJ), is thrilled to announce that the 2nd annual AI Film Festival Japan 2026 will be expanded into a 3-day event from Saturday, October 31 to Monday, November 2, 2026, centered around the Tokyo Innovation Base (*TBC).

Furthermore, we are proud to announce our official partnerships with Alibaba Cloud, CapCut, and ElevenLabs for this second edition. CapCut and ElevenLabs will each present a Sponsored Special Award within the AIFJ film competition categories.

Learn more!

Official Partners

Alibaba Cloud
CapCut
ElevenLabs

LATEST UPDATES

The Latest News About the Festival

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AIFJ 2026 Official Logo
NEXT GENERATION PLATFORM

The 2nd Annual AI Film Festival Japan
AI日本国際映画祭 2026

"AI Film Festival Japan (AIFJ)" is a global platform originating from Japan that explores the future of visual and sonic expression brought about by the co-creation of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and human artists.

1. ORGANIZER

AI Film Festival Japan 2026 Executive Committee
(Main Lead: AI FILM JAPAN inc.)

2. DATE

October 31 (Saturday) - November 2, 2026 (Monday)

3. VENUE

Tokyo Innovation Base (TIB) *To be Confirmed (TBC)
Yurakucho, SusHi Tech Square, 3-8-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 100-0005

4. PROGRAM (SCHEDULED)

Official Competition Screenings, Keynote & Panel Sessions, Creator Workshops, Award & Closing Ceremony, Networking Reception.

NEW PARADIGM

Independent Evaluation of Sonic Approaches
Launch of the "Film Music Score Category"

Building on the success of our inaugural 2025 edition and this year's Spring Event (held as an official partner event of SusHi Tech Tokyo), the most prominent feature of AIFJ 2026 is the establishment of the "AI Film Music Score Category" to independently evaluate auditory excellence alongside visual AI growth.

Against the backdrop of the rapid evolution of generative music platforms and vocal synthesis models, this unique competition format challenges creators to forge a sublime synergy between sight and sound.

5. SUBMISSION CATEGORIES

CATEGORY 01
AI Cinema Narrative Category

Short films emphasizing storytelling. Evaluates narrative structure, character development, and the visual aesthetics of AI-driven expression.

CATEGORY 02
AI Creative Film & Experimental Category

Genre-free experimental works focusing on the dialogue between creativity and AI tools including Hybrid movies. Evaluates originality, groundbreaking experimentation, and process innovation.

CATEGORY 03
AI Animation Category

Animated works utilizing human-AI co-creation. Focuses on the fusion of traditional animation techniques and AI, visual completeness, and stylistic uniqueness.

NEW CATEGORY 04
AI Film Music Score (Soundtrack) Category

A unique format where creators compose and apply AI-generated music tracks to a designated official video clip (1-3 mins) provided by the festival. Evaluates cinematic synchronicity and musical completion across instrumental and vocal tracks.

AIFJ 2026 AI FILM Competition

INTERNATIONAL JURY

Harry Hyun

Harry Hyun

founder and lead director of MooAm

Harry Hyun is the founder and lead director of MooAm, a creative team established in 2020 with a group of creators in their 20s and 30s. She began her career in 2012 as a producer at MBN's current affairs division and has since built MooAm into a one-stop solution studio handling everything from development and production to directing and distribution.

MooAm's feature film "Crypto Man" (2025) debuted at #1 in both Korea's independent/art-house and Netflix film rankings, proving the team's ability to deliver both critical and commercial success. Since 2023, Harry has spearheaded AI R&D integration across every stage of production, making MooAm the first AI production company to receive the Minister of Science and ICT Award and earning selection as one of the Ministry of Culture's "Innovation Premier 1000" companies.

Her work has been recognized at major international festivals and events, including the Grand Prize at the 1st CGV AI Film Festival (2025), Official Screening at CannesSeries AI Content (2025), and the Encouragement Award at the New York Short Animation Film Festival (2025). She also produced the AI feature film Genfluencer, selected for the Korea Creative Content Agency's feature production support program, and created an AI-produced music video for K-pop group Big Ocean, premiered at the "AI for Good" Global Summit in Switzerland.

In 2026, MooAm was selected as one of eight AI production companies under CJ ENM's umbrella, collaborating on industry-academia talent development programs in the first half and launching co-production projects in the second half through regular workshops and partnership matching.

Official Website
Toby Hyder

Toby Hyder

creative technologist and filmmaker

Toby Hyder is a creative technologist and filmmaker with over a decade of experience at the intersection of emerging technologies, visual effects, and AI-driven production. Beginning his career at Dimension Studio, he specialised in volumetric capture, virtual production, and immersive filmmaking, working on projects for global brands including Disney and major international sporting events.

He later joined Synthesia, one of the UK’s leading AI companies, where he led a specialist team developing human performance capture pipelines and training AI systems to understand human movement, expression, and behavioural nuance.

Toby went on to found XOLink, an AI production company pioneering identity capture, AI filmmaking, and proprietary dataset creation, delivering work for clients including Sky, Hasbro, NVIDIA, and Perfecto Records while producing award-winning original films such as Bones of Yew, which has received international recognition across AI and film festivals.

A strong advocate for hybrid AI production, Toby champions workflows that empower creatives by combining traditional filmmaking expertise with emerging AI technologies to unlock new forms of storytelling.

Official Website
Kennex Ma

Kennex Ma

Creative Director / AI Filmmaker

A storyteller first and foremost, Kennex Ma began his career as a scriptwriter on several successful television dramas before moving into advertising, where he has worked as a Creative Director and copywriter, crafting brand stories for global brands.

His storytelling practice now extends into AI filmmaking, with his work winning the Grand Prix at various film festivals and receiving recognition from international AI film festivals in London, Seattle, and beyond.

He believes AI can unlock human creative potential, enabling storytellers to bring once-unimaginable ideas to life.

Official Website
Jon Taramona Redondo

Jon Taramona Redondo

CEO – Aplimedia S.L. / Sin Cámara AI Film Festival

Jon Taramona Redondo has spent his entire career in Bilbao, Spain. He studied computer engineering at the University of Deusto (Bilbao). He worked as a programmer in various Spanish companies.

Then, he founded the IT services company Aplimedia S.L. (Aplimedia.com), dedicated to the development of management software. Throughout the company's history, its main activity has been programming and selling an ERP called Secre, which is very popular among small businesses in Spain.

In 2024, he decided to pivot his company and focus on creating applications based on artificial intelligence. Aplimedia has developed over 20 custom programs based on AI.

A great film enthusiast, in 2025 he decided to organize the first AI-generated short film festival in Spain. The festival, named "Camera-less Film Festival", was highly successful, and the second edition will be organized in 2026.

Official Website
Official Trailer

Latest PV

The 2nd Annual AI Film Festival Japan (AIFJ 2026) Official Promotional Video

AI Film Festival Japan 2026 Official PV | ©︎AIFJ 2026

Submission Guidelines

Guidelines

1. Eligibility & Premiere Status

Applicants must be 18 years or older (or the age of majority in their country). Parental consent is required for minors. Involvement with anti-social forces or violating any laws is strictly prohibited.

World, International, or Japan premieres are prioritized. However, the "Film Music Score Category" strictly requires newly composed, unreleased tracks specifically created for the official footage provided by the festival.

2. Technical Specifications

  • Visual Categories: 16:9 aspect ratio recommended. FHD (1920x1080) recommended, 4K acceptable. Format: MP4 or MOV.
  • Language & Subtitles: English subtitles are mandatory for non-English and non-Japanese works. Official screenings will generally feature dual subtitles.
  • Music Score Category: Audio format must be WAV or AIFF. A final mixed audio file alongside a preview MP4 synced with the designated footage is required.

3. Prohibited Content

Submissions containing copyright infringement, unauthorized deepfakes (unauthorized training on real individuals), discrimination, hate speech, pornography, or excessive violence are strictly prohibited.
Any work found to violate these rules will be subject to immediate disqualification and a permanent ban from all future AIFJ events.

4. Evaluation & Jury Panel

A flexible preliminary review system will be implemented based on the volume of submissions. The final judging will be conducted by a select jury of international experts across film, music, AI technology, and art.
We build collaborative frameworks with external organizations to ensure multifaceted and fair evaluations regarding both technology and art.

Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions

01

Transparency & Accountability

Applicants must faithfully and specifically disclose "which generative AI tools were used, in which processes, and to what extent" within their entry forms. The committee reserves the right to request prompt histories or production logs in cases involving suspected rights infringement or policy violations. Refusal to explain without valid reason will result in disqualification or revocation of awards.

02

Rights, Content, & Ethics

Submitted works must be entirely original and must not use third-party copyrighted materials or trademarks without proper permission. Applicants bear sole responsibility for clearing all rights (music, footage, portrait rights) prior to submission. In the event of legal claims from third parties, the applicant shall resolve them at their own expense and hold the organizers harmless.

03

Copyrights & Licensing

Intellectual property rights to the submitted works generally remain with the applicants. However, copyrights for the official video clip provided in the Music Score Category belong solely to the organizers.

By entering the competition, applicants grant the AIFJ Executive Committee a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, perpetual license to use the works for screenings and promotional purposes (including related events, official website, and SNS digests). Furthermore, applicants agree not to assert moral rights against necessary modifications such as format conversion or excerpting performed within the scope of this license.

04

Liability & Governing Law

The organizers are not liable for damages resulting from event cancellations or disruptions due to force majeure (e.g., natural disasters, system failures, government orders). These terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with Japanese Law. The Tokyo District Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction as the court of first instance for any disputes arising out of or in connection with the festival.

Submit Your Work

Create the Unimaginable

AI Film Festival Japan (AIFJ) is a pioneering film festival dedicated exclusively to cinematic works leveraging Generative AI technology. We empower visionaries to transcend traditional resource limitations, materialize epic world-building, and unveil a new paradigm of human-AI collaborative storytelling to the world.

AIFJ 2025 Vision
About Our Vision

Beyond the Film Festival: Forging a Next-Gen Content Ecosystem

AI Film Festival Japan (AIFJ) builds a hyper-growth infrastructure bridging pioneering creators, AI tool enterprises, and global industrial capital. Explore our blueprint to transform creative fervor into sustainable economic value.