The WAVES Film Bazaar and the International Film Festival of India (IFFI), in partnership with LTIMindtree, on Tuesday launched India’s first AI Film Festival and Cinema AI Hackathon at the 56th IFFI in Goa, underscoring the growing use of artificial intelligence in filmmaking and digital production.
The inaugural AI Film Festival received 68 entries from 18 countries, including award-winning film packages from five international AI film festivals—Adobe Max and AI Film3 (USA), Burano AI Film Festival (Italy), Metamorph AI Film Awards (UK), and Omni Film Festival (Australia). Fourteen individual filmmakers from across the world also submitted films. Of these, 27 were selected for the Competition section and four for the Non-Competition showcase, chosen for their artistic merit, technical innovation and narrative experimentation.
At the closing ceremony of WAVES Film Bazaar, the winners of the Competition Awards were announced, recognising excellence in AI-driven filmmaking.
-The Craft Master Award – Best AI Short Film (₹3,00,000): Awarded to Nagori, an English-language film directed by Guillaume Hurbault of France, recognised for its strong storytelling, execution and emotional depth.
-The Craft Vanguard Award – Most Innovative Use of AI / Experimental Narrative (₹2,00,000): Awarded to The Cinema That Never Was, directed by Mark Wachholz of Germany, for its experimental narrative style and pioneering use of AI tools.
-The Craft Spectra Award – Best AI Animation / Visual Design (₹1,00,000): Awarded to Kyra, directed by Meta Puppet from the USA, honoured for visual artistry and design innovation achieved through AI technologies.
-Jury Special Mention: Awarded to The Last Backup Final Part (English) by Sreerithanya M. and Miracle on Kachua Beach (Hindi) by Shivanshu Nirupam for demonstrating notable promise in AI filmmaking.
Screenings of selected films from the AI Film Festival will be held at two venues:
-November 26 at 2:30 pm at Maquinez Palace, Auditorium 1
-November 27 at 4:45 pm at INOX Porvorim, Auditorium 4
According to organisers, the festival aims to build a global community of creators exploring AI-assisted cinema and position India as an emerging centre for innovation in film technology.