AI Film Festival Showcases the Future of Movie Making

Film Festival showcases what artificial intelligence can do on the big screen

NEW YORK (AP) -- Artificial intelligence 's use in movie making is exploding. And a young film festival, now in its junior year, is showcasing what this technology can do on screen today. The annual AI Film Festival organized by Runway, a company that specializes in AI-generated video, kicked off in New York Thursday night with ten short films from around the world making their debut on the big screen. "Three years ago, this was such a crazy idea," Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela told the crowd. "Today, millions of people are making billions of videos using tools we only dreamed of." The film festival itself has grown significantly since its 2023 debut. About 300 people submitted films when it first began, Valenzuela said, compared to about 6,000 submissions received this year. The one and half-hour lineup stretched across a range of creative styles and ambitious themes -- with Jacob Alder's " Total Pixel Space " taking home the festival's top prize. The 9-minute and 28-second film questions how many possible images -- real or not -- exist in the digital space, and uses math to calculate a colossal number. A stunning series of images, ranging from the familiar life moments to those that completely bend reality, gives viewers a glimpse of what's out there. Meanwhile, Andrew Salter's "Jailbird," which snagged second place, chronicles a chicken's journey -- from the bird's perspective -- to a human prison in the United Kingdom to take part in a joint-rehabilitation program. And "One," a futuristic story by Ricardo Villavicencio and Edward Saatchi about interplanetary travel followed in third place. The 10 films shown were finalists selected from thousands submitted to Runway's AI Film Festival this year. The shorts will also be shown at screenings held in Los Angeles and Paris next week. How AI is used and executed is a factor judges evaluate when determining festival winners. But not every film entered was made entirely using AI. While submission criteria requires each movie include the use of AI-generated video, there's no set threshold, meaning some films can take a more "mixed media" approach -- such as combining live shots of actors or real-life images and sounds with AI-generated elements. "We're trying to encourage people to explore and experiment with it," Valenzuela said in an interview prior to Thursday's screening. Creating a coherent film using generative AI is no easy feat. It can take a long list of directions and numerous, detailed prompts to get even a short scene to make sense and look consistent. Still, the scope of what this kind of technology can do has grown significantly since Runway's first AI Film Festival in 2023 -- and Valenzuela says that's reflected in today's submissions. While there are still limits, AI-generated video is becoming more and more life-like and realistic. Runway encourages the use of its own AI tools for films entered into its festival, but creators are also allowed to turn to other resources and tools as they put together the films -- and across the industry, tools that use AI to create videos spanning from text, image and/or audio prompts have rapidly improved over recent years, while becoming increasingly available. "The way (this technology) has lived within film and media culture, and pop culture, has really accelerated," said Joshua Glick, an associate professor of film and electronic arts at Bard College. He adds that Runway's film fest, which is among a handful of showcases aimed at spotlighting AI's creative capabilities, arrives as companies in this space are searching for heightened "legitimacy and recognition" for the tools they are creating -- with aims to cement partnerships in Hollywood as a result. AI's presence in Hollywood is already far-reaching, and perhaps more expansive than many moviegoers realize. Beyond "headline-grabbing" (and at times controversial) applications that big-budget films have done to "de-age" actors or create eye-catching stunts, Glick notes, this technology is often incorporated in an array of post-production editing, digital touch-ups and additional behind-the-scenes work like sorting footage. Industry executives repeatedly point to how AI can improve efficiency in the movie making process -- allowing creatives to perform a task that once took hours, for example, in a matter of minutes -- and foster further innovation. Still, AI's rapid growth and adoption has also heightened anxieties around the burgeoning technology -- notably its implications for workers. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees -- which represents behind-the-scenes entertainment workers in the U.S. and Canada -- has "long embraced new technologies that enhance storytelling," Vanessa Holtgrewe, IATSE's international vice president, said in an emailed statement. "But we've also been clear: AI must not be used to undermine workers' rights or livelihoods." IATSE and other unions have continued to meet with major studios and establish provisions in efforts to provide guardrails around the use of AI. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has also been vocal about AI protections for its members, a key sticking point in recent labor actions. For Runway's AI Film Festival, Valenzuela hopes screening films that incorporate AI-generated video can showcase what's possible -- and how he says this technology can help, not hurt, creatives in the work they do today. "It's natural to fear change ... (But) it's important to understand what you can do with it," Valenzuela said. Even filmmaking, he adds, was born "because of scientific breakthroughs that at the time were very uncomfortable for many people."

Film festival showcases what artificial intelligence can do on the big screen

NEW YORK (AP) -- Artificial intelligence 's use in movie making is exploding. And a young film festival, now in its junior year, is showcasing what this technology can do on screen today. The annual AI Film Festival organized by Runway, a company that specializes in AI-generated video, kicked off in New York Thursday night with ten short films from around the world making their debut on the big screen. "Three years ago, this was such a crazy idea," Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela told the crowd. "Today, millions of people are making billions of videos using tools we only dreamed of." The film festival itself has grown significantly since its 2023 debut. About 300 people submitted films when it first began, Valenzuela said, compared to about 6,000 submissions received this year. The one and half-hour lineup stretched across a range of creative styles and ambitious themes -- with Jacob Alder's " Total Pixel Space " taking home the festival's top prize. The 9-minute and 28-second film questions how many possible images -- real or not -- exist in the digital space, and uses math to calculate a colossal number. A stunning series of images, ranging from the familiar life moments to those that completely bend reality, gives viewers a glimpse of what's out there. Meanwhile, Andrew Salter's "Jailbird," which snagged second place, chronicles a chicken's journey -- from the bird's perspective -- to a human prison in the United Kingdom to take part in a joint-rehabilitation program. And "One," a futuristic story by Ricardo Villavicencio and Edward Saatchi about interplanetary travel followed in third place. The 10 films shown were finalists selected from thousands submitted to Runway's AI Film Festival this year. The shorts will also be shown at screenings held in Los Angeles and Paris next week. How AI is used and executed is a factor judges evaluate when determining festival winners. But not every film entered was made entirely using AI. While submission criteria requires each movie include the use of AI-generated video, there's no set threshold, meaning some films can take a more "mixed media" approach -- such as combining live shots of actors or real-life images and sounds with AI-generated elements. "We're trying to encourage people to explore and experiment with it," Valenzuela said in an interview prior to Thursday's screening. Creating a coherent film using generative AI is no easy feat. It can take a long list of directions and numerous, detailed prompts to get even a short scene to make sense and look consistent. Still, the scope of what this kind of technology can do has grown significantly since Runway's first AI Film Festival in 2023 -- and Valenzuela says that's reflected in today's submissions. While there are still limits, AI-generated video is becoming more and more life-like and realistic. Runway encourages the use of its own AI tools for films entered into its festival, but creators are also allowed to turn to other resources and tools as they put together the films -- and across the industry, tools that use AI to create videos spanning from text, image and/or audio prompts have rapidly improved over recent years, while becoming increasingly available. "The way (this technology) has lived within film and media culture, and pop culture, has really accelerated," said Joshua Glick, an associate professor of film and electronic arts at Bard College. He adds that Runway's film fest, which is among a handful of showcases aimed at spotlighting AI's creative capabilities, arrives as companies in this space are searching for heightened "legitimacy and recognition" for the tools they are creating -- with aims to cement partnerships in Hollywood as a result. AI's presence in Hollywood is already far-reaching, and perhaps more expansive than many moviegoers realize. Beyond "headline-grabbing" (and at times controversial) applications that big-budget films have done to "de-age" actors or create eye-catching stunts, Glick notes, this technology is often incorporated in an array of post-production editing, digital touch-ups and additional behind-the-scenes work like sorting footage. Industry executives repeatedly point to how AI can improve efficiency in the movie making process -- allowing creatives to perform a task that once took hours, for example, in a matter of minutes -- and foster further innovation. Still, AI's rapid growth and adoption has also heightened anxieties around the burgeoning technology -- notably its implications for workers. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees -- which represents behind-the-scenes entertainment workers in the U.S. and Canada -- has "long embraced new technologies that enhance storytelling," Vanessa Holtgrewe, IATSE's international vice president, said in an emailed statement. "But we've also been clear: AI must not be used to undermine workers' rights or livelihoods." IATSE and other unions have continued to meet with major studios and establish provisions in efforts to provide guardrails around the use of AI. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has also been vocal about AI protections for its members, a key sticking point in recent labor actions. For Runway's AI Film Festival, Valenzuela hopes screening films that incorporate AI-generated video can showcase what's possible -- and how he says this technology can help, not hurt, creatives in the work they do today. "It's natural to fear change ... (But) it's important to understand what you can do with it," Valenzuela said. Even filmmaking, he adds, was born "because of scientific breakthroughs that at the time were very uncomfortable for many people."

Film Festival showcases what artificial intelligence can do on the big screen

NEW YORK -- NEW YORK (AP) -- Artificial intelligence 's use in movie making is exploding. And a young film festival, now in its junior year, is showcasing what this technology can do on screen today. The annual AI Film Festival organized by Runway, a company that specializes in AI-generated video, kicked off in New York Thursday night with ten short films from around the world making their debut on the big screen. "Three years ago, this was such a crazy idea," Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela told the crowd. "Today, millions of people are making billions of videos using tools we only dreamed of." The film festival itself has grown significantly since its 2023 debut. About 300 people submitted films when it first began, Valenzuela said, compared to about 6,000 submissions received this year. The one and half-hour lineup stretched across a range of creative styles and ambitious themes -- with Jacob Alder's " Total Pixel Space " taking home the festival's top prize. The 9-minute and 28-second film questions how many possible images -- real or not -- exist in the digital space, and uses math to calculate a colossal number. A stunning series of images, ranging from the familiar life moments to those that completely bend reality, gives viewers a glimpse of what's out there. Meanwhile, Andrew Salter's "Jailbird," which snagged second place, chronicles a chicken's journey -- from the bird's perspective -- to a human prison in the United Kingdom to take part in a joint-rehabilitation program. And "One," a futuristic story by Ricardo Villavicencio and Edward Saatchi about interplanetary travel followed in third place. The 10 films shown were finalists selected from thousands submitted to Runway's AI Film Festival this year. The shorts will also be shown at screenings held in Los Angeles and Paris next week. How AI is used and executed is a factor judges evaluate when determining festival winners. But not every film entered was made entirely using AI. While submission criteria requires each movie include the use of AI-generated video, there's no set threshold, meaning some films can take a more "mixed media" approach -- such as combining live shots of actors or real-life images and sounds with AI-generated elements. "We're trying to encourage people to explore and experiment with it," Valenzuela said in an interview prior to Thursday's screening. Creating a coherent film using generative AI is no easy feat. It can take a long list of directions and numerous, detailed prompts to get even a short scene to make sense and look consistent. Still, the scope of what this kind of technology can do has grown significantly since Runway's first AI Film Festival in 2023 -- and Valenzuela says that's reflected in today's submissions. While there are still limits, AI-generated video is becoming more and more life-like and realistic. Runway encourages the use of its own AI tools for films entered into its festival, but creators are also allowed to turn to other resources and tools as they put together the films -- and across the industry, tools that use AI to create videos spanning from text, image and/or audio prompts have rapidly improved over recent years, while becoming increasingly available. "The way (this technology) has lived within film and media culture, and pop culture, has really accelerated," said Joshua Glick, an associate professor of film and electronic arts at Bard College. He adds that Runway's film fest, which is among a handful of showcases aimed at spotlighting AI's creative capabilities, arrives as companies in this space are searching for heightened "legitimacy and recognition" for the tools they are creating -- with aims to cement partnerships in Hollywood as a result. AI's presence in Hollywood is already far-reaching, and perhaps more expansive than many moviegoers realize. Beyond "headline-grabbing" (and at times controversial) applications that big-budget films have done to "de-age" actors or create eye-catching stunts, Glick notes, this technology is often incorporated in an array of post-production editing, digital touch-ups and additional behind-the-scenes work like sorting footage. Industry executives repeatedly point to how AI can improve efficiency in the movie making process -- allowing creatives to perform a task that once took hours, for example, in a matter of minutes -- and foster further innovation. Still, AI's rapid growth and adoption has also heightened anxieties around the burgeoning technology -- notably its implications for workers. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees -- which represents behind-the-scenes entertainment workers in the U.S. and Canada -- has "long embraced new technologies that enhance storytelling," Vanessa Holtgrewe, IATSE's international vice president, said in an emailed statement. "But we've also been clear: AI must not be used to undermine workers' rights or livelihoods." IATSE and other unions have continued to meet with major studios and establish provisions in efforts to provide guardrails around the use of AI. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has also been vocal about AI protections for its members, a key sticking point in recent labor actions. For Runway's AI Film Festival, Valenzuela hopes screening films that incorporate AI-generated video can showcase what's possible -- and how he says this technology can help, not hurt, creatives in the work they do today. "It's natural to fear change ... (But) it's important to understand what you can do with it," Valenzuela said. Even filmmaking, he adds, was born "because of scientific breakthroughs that at the time were very uncomfortable for many people."

Film Festival Showcases What Artificial Intelligence Can Do on the Big Screen

NEW YORK (AP) -- Artificial intelligence 's use in movie making is exploding. And a young film festival, now in its junior year, is showcasing what this technology can do on screen today. The annual AI Film Festival organized by Runway, a company that specializes in AI-generated video, kicked off in New York Thursday night with ten short films from around the world making their debut on the big screen. "Three years ago, this was such a crazy idea," Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela told the crowd. "Today, millions of people are making billions of videos using tools we only dreamed of." The film festival itself has grown significantly since its 2023 debut. About 300 people submitted films when it first began, Valenzuela said, compared to about 6,000 submissions received this year. The one and half-hour lineup stretched across a range of creative styles and ambitious themes -- with Jacob Alder's " Total Pixel Space " taking home the festival's top prize. The 9-minute and 28-second film questions how many possible images -- real or not -- exist in the digital space, and uses math to calculate a colossal number. A stunning series of images, ranging from the familiar life moments to those that completely bend reality, gives viewers a glimpse of what's out there. Meanwhile, Andrew Salter's "Jailbird," which snagged second place, chronicles a chicken's journey -- from the bird's perspective -- to a human prison in the United Kingdom to take part in a joint-rehabilitation program. And "One," a futuristic story by Ricardo Villavicencio and Edward Saatchi about interplanetary travel followed in third place. The 10 films shown were finalists selected from thousands submitted to Runway's AI Film Festival this year. The shorts will also be shown at screenings held in Los Angeles and Paris next week. How AI is used and executed is a factor judges evaluate when determining festival winners. But not every film entered was made entirely using AI. While submission criteria requires each movie include the use of AI-generated video, there's no set threshold, meaning some films can take a more "mixed media" approach -- such as combining live shots of actors or real-life images and sounds with AI-generated elements. "We're trying to encourage people to explore and experiment with it," Valenzuela said in an interview prior to Thursday's screening. Creating a coherent film using generative AI is no easy feat. It can take a long list of directions and numerous, detailed prompts to get even a short scene to make sense and look consistent. Still, the scope of what this kind of technology can do has grown significantly since Runway's first AI Film Festival in 2023 -- and Valenzuela says that's reflected in today's submissions. While there are still limits, AI-generated video is becoming more and more life-like and realistic. Runway encourages the use of its own AI tools for films entered into its festival, but creators are also allowed to turn to other resources and tools as they put together the films -- and across the industry, tools that use AI to create videos spanning from text, image and/or audio prompts have rapidly improved over recent years, while becoming increasingly available. "The way (this technology) has lived within film and media culture, and pop culture, has really accelerated," said Joshua Glick, an associate professor of film and electronic arts at Bard College. He adds that Runway's film fest, which is among a handful of showcases aimed at spotlighting AI's creative capabilities, arrives as companies in this space are searching for heightened "legitimacy and recognition" for the tools they are creating -- with aims to cement partnerships in Hollywood as a result. AI's presence in Hollywood is already far-reaching, and perhaps more expansive than many moviegoers realize. Beyond "headline-grabbing" (and at times controversial) applications that big-budget films have done to "de-age" actors or create eye-catching stunts, Glick notes, this technology is often incorporated in an array of post-production editing, digital touch-ups and additional behind-the-scenes work like sorting footage. Industry executives repeatedly point to how AI can improve efficiency in the movie making process -- allowing creatives to perform a task that once took hours, for example, in a matter of minutes -- and foster further innovation. Still, AI's rapid growth and adoption has also heightened anxieties around the burgeoning technology -- notably its implications for workers. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees -- which represents behind-the-scenes entertainment workers in the U.S. and Canada -- has "long embraced new technologies that enhance storytelling," Vanessa Holtgrewe, IATSE's international vice president, said in an emailed statement. "But we've also been clear: AI must not be used to undermine workers' rights or livelihoods." IATSE and other unions have continued to meet with major studios and establish provisions in efforts to provide guardrails around the use of AI. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has also been vocal about AI protections for its members, a key sticking point in recent labor actions. For Runway's AI Film Festival, Valenzuela hopes screening films that incorporate AI-generated video can showcase what's possible -- and how he says this technology can help, not hurt, creatives in the work they do today. "It's natural to fear change ... (But) it's important to understand what you can do with it," Valenzuela said. Even filmmaking, he adds, was born "because of scientific breakthroughs that at the time were very uncomfortable for many people." Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Film festival showcases what artificial intelligence can do on the big screen

Artificial intelligence 's use in movie making is exploding. And a young film festival, now in its junior year, is showcasing what this technology can do on screen today. The annual AI Film Festival organised by Runway, a company that specialises in AI-generated video, kicked off in New York Thursday night with ten short films from around the world making their debut on the big screen. "Three years ago, this was such a crazy idea," Runway CEO Cristobal Valenzuela told the crowd. "Today, millions of people are making billions of videos using tools we only dreamed of." The film festival itself has grown significantly since its 2023 debut. About 300 people submitted films when it first began, Valenzuela said, compared to about 6,000 submissions received this year. The one-and-a-half-hour lineup stretched across a range of creative styles and ambitious themes -- with Jacob Adler's " Total Pixel Space " taking home the festival's top prize. The 9-minute and 28-second film questions how many possible images - real or not - exist in the digital space, and uses math to calculate a colossal number. A stunning series of images, ranging from the familiar life moments to those that completely bend reality, gives viewers a glimpse of what's out there. Meanwhile, Andrew Salter's "Jailbird," which snagged second place, chronicles a chicken's journey - from the bird's perspective - to a human prison in the United Kingdom to take part in a joint-rehabilitation program. And "One," a futuristic story by Ricardo Villavicencio and Edward Saatchi about interplanetary travel followed in third place. The 10 films shown were finalists selected from thousands submitted to Runway's AI Film Festival this year. The shorts will also be shown at screenings held in Los Angeles and Paris next week. How AI is used and executed is a factor judges evaluate when determining festival winners. But not every film entered was made entirely using AI. While submission criteria requires each movie to include the use of AI-generated video, there's no set threshold, meaning some films can take a more "mixed media" approach -- such as combining live shots of actors or real-life images and sounds with AI-generated elements. "We're trying to encourage people to explore and experiment with it," Valenzuela said in an interview prior to Thursday's screening. Creating a coherent film using generative AI is no easy feat. It can take a long list of directions and numerous, detailed prompts to get even a short scene to make sense and look consistent. Still, the scope of what this kind of technology can do has grown significantly since Runway's first AI Film Festival in 2023 -- and Valenzuela says that's reflected in today's submissions. While there are still limits, AI-generated video is becoming more and more life-like and realistic. Runway encourages the use of its own AI tools for films entered into its festival, but creators are also allowed to turn to other resources and tools as they put together the films - and across the industry, tools that use AI to create videos spanning from text, image and/or audio prompts have rapidly improved over recent years, while becoming increasingly available. "The way (this technology) has lived within film and media culture, and pop culture, has really accelerated," said Joshua Glick, an associate professor of film and electronic arts at Bard College. He adds that Runway's film fest, which is among a handful of showcases aimed at spotlighting AI's creative capabilities, arrives as companies in this space are searching for heightened "legitimacy and recognition" for the tools they are creating -- with aims to cement partnerships in Hollywood as a result. AI's presence in Hollywood is already far-reaching, and perhaps more expansive than many moviegoers realise. Beyond "headline-grabbing" (and at times controversial) applications that big-budget films have done to "de-age" actors or create eye-catching stunts, Glick notes, this technology is often incorporated in an array of post-production editing, digital touch-ups and additional behind-the-scenes work like sorting footage. Industry executives repeatedly point to how AI can improve efficiency in the movie making process -- allowing creatives to perform a task that once took hours, for example, in a matter of minutes - and foster further innovation. Still, AI's rapid growth and adoption has also heightened anxieties around the burgeoning technology -- notably its implications for workers. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees - which represents behind-the-scenes entertainment workers in the U.S. and Canada - has "long embraced new technologies that enhance storytelling," Vanessa Holtgrewe, IATSE's international vice president, said in an emailed statement. "But we've also been clear: AI must not be used to undermine workers' rights or livelihoods." IATSE and other unions have continued to meet with major studios and establish provisions in efforts to provide guardrails around the use of AI. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has also been vocal about AI protections for its members, a key sticking point in recent labour actions. For Runway's AI Film Festival, Valenzuela hopes screening films that incorporate AI-generated video can showcase what's possible -- and how he says this technology can help, not hurt, creatives in the work they do today. "It's natural to fear change ... (But) it's important to understand what you can do with it," Valenzuela said. Even filmmaking, he adds, was born "because of scientific breakthroughs that at the time were very uncomfortable for many people."

A New York Startup Just Threw a Splashy Event to Hail the Future of AI Movies

Are Music and Other Celebrity Films Killing the Documentary? About an hour before the start of the AI Film Festival, a gathering meant to "offer a glimpse at a new creative era," a line down Broadway had already formed. Attendees were buzzing with the chance to see the latest shorts made with tools by the event's backer, Runway AI, and other models, though an unknown percentage were themselves involved with the showcased films. The ticket buyers formed one of the first large-scale gatherings of humans to celebrate the creativity generated by machines. In honor of the occasion, Runway had rented out Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, a status-conferring site of countless concerts and the New York Film Festival. One man lingered in an "I [Heart] AI" T-shirt modeled after the I Love NY conceit; others took selfies in front of Runway's minimalist black-and-white signage plastered across Alice Tully's windows. "I just want to see something interesting," one attendee said. That they certainly got. Over the two hours that followed the company showcased ten AI-produced films of varying quality and mood, though nearly all had a dream-like experimental aesthetic -- shaped, in part, by limitations on sound and the movement of real people in AI films. One of the company's trio of co-founders, the 36-year-old Cristóbal Valenzuela, addressed the crowd. "Three years ago, this was such a crazy idea," he said. "Today, millions of people are making billions of videos using tools we only dreamed of." He said last year's festival -- this is its third edition, though the first at Lincoln Center (a similar event will be held next Thursday at Los Angeles' Broad Stage theater) -- yielded only 300 submissions. But this year brought 6,000, a statement that drew oohs from the crowd. Founded in 2018, Runway began gaining notice in Hollywood last year after Lionsgate made a deal to train a Runway model using its entire library. Other pacts have since followed, as the firm has sought to convince Hollywood it comes in peace, or at least with a serious amount of film cred. (Valenzuela claims he is a cinephile.) So far this year, the company has released "Gen-4" and "Gen-4 References," tools that aim to give scenes a consistent look throughout an AI-created short, one of the medium's biggest challenges. The L.A.-raised film and music producer known as Flying Lotus, born Steven Ellison, took the stage with Valenzuela. "A lot of people are terrified to talk about [AI]," Lotus said. "I empathize but at the same time I'm the kind of person who uses the tools." He walked off the stage with an exhortation to the audience. "Don't let anybody tell you there are rules to this shit." Then they showed the films. Several brought a distinct style. The slice-of-life More Tears than Harm had an animated painterly look as it reflected on a hardscrabble childhood in Madagascar. Another movie, 6,000 Lies, used a series of rapidfire sonograms to tell a moving semi-dystopian story about a fetus that may or may not have been aborted as part of a culling. In the most affecting and least experimental piece, Jailbird, a chicken was shown being rescued from a factory farm to serve as a companion to a prisoner, part of a real-life British program aimed at compassionate rehabilitation. Many of the movies sought to turn liability into asset and integrate the unpredictable reality-defying qualities of AI-generation - which can unexpectedly do things like make people float or rain fall upward -- into the story. A film titled Fragments of Nowhere used wild images of bodies shapeshifting and cars hanging from buildings as it suggested a time-space continuum that allowed for this surrealism. It closed with the line "Reality is just another layer of perception." As the films played, the room gathered the energy of an art-school summit, even as the larger goal is a wholesale transformation of the very nuts-and-bolts billion-dollar business of Hollywood. The presentation made a case for originality -- the films undeniably exhibited a new grammar -- while omitting any training-data talk of how these images were ultimately enabled by all the human-crafted cinema that came before. The subtext to the evening was that AI not only wouldn't oppose art but would enable a new form of it for those with the right creative instincts; Lotus noted that when anyone asks him if he worries that others would get the tool to mimic professional artists, he counters, "But I got the tool too." Of course Hollywood executives are not always interested in turning over production means to A-list artists, not when keeping it from them could be a hell of a lot cheaper. After the movies played, Valenzuela took the stage again to hand out awards for the machine-generated moving images. Notably, the runner-up prize went to the most humanist of the group, Jailbird. The Gran Prix went to Total Pixel Space, a cone-headed look from the filmmaker Jacob Adler at all the possible images and films of the world (bigger than a googolplex) and a movie that seemed, in its contemplation of the vast possibilities of cinema, to implicitly argue on behalf of AI filmmaking. If the possibilities are literally almost infinite, how could a machine be reducing cinema to genericism? Valenzuela made his case for the power of what Runway was doing. "AI is beginning to alter the fabric of our culture and of course the art that comes from it," he said. As people streamed out into the elegant marble and glass lobby, the din grew as the crowd hashed about the various films in the manner of any festival, though this time with an added procedural layer. "Is it just me," one young bearded man could be heard asking his friend, "or did you think about what prompts were being used the entire time?"

Film festival showcases what AI can do on the big screen

Artificial intelligence's use in movie-making is exploding. And a young film festival, now in its junior year, is showcasing what this technology can do on screen today. The annual AI Film Festival, organized by Runway, a company that specializes in AI-generated video, kicked off in New York Thursday night with ten short films from around the world making their debut on the big screen. "Three years ago, this was such a crazy idea," Runway CEO Cristóbal Valenzuela told the crowd. "Today, millions of people are making billions of videos using tools we only dreamed of." The film festival itself has grown significantly since its 2023 debut. About 300 people submitted films when it first began, Valenzuela said, compared to about 6,000 submissions received this year. The one-and-a-half-hour lineup stretched across a range of creative styles and ambitious themes, with Jacob Alder's " Total Pixel Space " taking home the festival's top prize. The 9-minute and 28-second film questions how many possible images -- real or not -- exist in the digital space, and uses math to calculate a colossal number. A stunning series of images, ranging from the familiar life moments to those that completely bend reality, gives viewers a glimpse of what's out there. Meanwhile, Andrew Salter's "Jailbird," which snagged second place, chronicles a chicken's journey -- from the bird's perspective -- to a human prison in the United Kingdom to take part in a joint-rehabilitation program. And "One," a futuristic story by Ricardo Villavicencio and Edward Saatchi about interplanetary travel, followed in third place. The 10 films shown were finalists selected from thousands submitted to Runway's AI Film Festival this year. The shorts will also be shown at screenings held in Los Angeles and Paris next week. How AI is used and executed is a factor judges evaluate when determining festival winners. But not every film entered was made entirely using AI. While submission criteria require each movie to include the use of AI-generated video, there's no set threshold, meaning some films can take a more "mixed media" approach, such as combining live shots of actors or real-life images and sounds with AI-generated elements. "We're trying to encourage people to explore and experiment with it," Valenzuela said in an interview prior to Thursday's screening. Creating a coherent film using generative AI is no easy feat. It can take a long list of directions and numerous, detailed prompts to get even a short scene to make sense and look consistent. Still, the scope of what this kind of technology can do has grown significantly since Runway's first AI Film Festival in 2023 -- and Valenzuela says that's reflected in today's submissions. While there are still limits, AI-generated video is becoming more and more life-like and realistic. Runway encourages the use of its own AI tools for films entered into its festival, but creators are also allowed to turn to other resources and tools as they put together the films -- and across the industry, tools that use AI to create videos spanning from text, image and/or audio prompts have rapidly improved over recent years, while becoming increasingly available. "The way (this technology) has lived within film and media culture, and pop culture, has really accelerated," said Joshua Glick, an associate professor of film and electronic arts at Bard College. He adds that Runway's film fest, which is among a handful of showcases aimed at spotlighting AI's creative capabilities, arrives as companies in this space are searching for heightened "legitimacy and recognition" for the tools they are creating, with the aim of cementing partnerships in Hollywood as a result. AI's presence in Hollywood is already far-reaching, and perhaps more expansive than many moviegoers realize. Beyond "headline-grabbing" (and at times controversial) applications that big-budget films have done to "de-age" actors or create eye-catching stunts, Glick notes, this technology is often incorporated in an array of post-production editing, digital touch-ups, and additional behind-the-scenes work like sorting footage. Industry executives repeatedly point to how AI can improve efficiency in the movie-making process, allowing creatives to perform a task that once took hours, for example, in a matter of minutes, and foster further innovation. Still, AI's rapid growth and adoption have also heightened anxieties around the burgeoning technology, notably its implications for workers. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees -- which represents behind-the-scenes entertainment workers in the U.S. and Canada -- has "long embraced new technologies that enhance storytelling," Vanessa Holtgrewe, IATSE's international vice president, said in an emailed statement. "But we've also been clear: AI must not be used to undermine workers' rights or livelihoods." IATSE and other unions have continued to meet with major studios and establish provisions in efforts to provide guardrails around the use of AI. The Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists has also been vocal about AI protections for its members, a key sticking point in recent labor actions. For Runway's AI Film Festival, Valenzuela hopes screening films that incorporate AI-generated video can showcase what's possible -- and how he says this technology can help, not hurt, creatives in the work they do today. "It's natural to fear change ... (But) it's important to understand what you can do with it," Valenzuela said. Even filmmaking, he adds, was born "because of scientific breakthroughs that at the time were very uncomfortable for many people."