Beyond the Image
Visual invention and artistic intent in AI-driven cinema—the search for a new film aesthetic.
SUBMISSIONS OPEN
NEW-VISION AI FILM WEEK · AN INTERNATIONAL CINEMA PLATFORM
As artificial intelligence weaves itself into cinematic creation, the boundaries of moving images expand, and new horizons of narrative unfold. CNAIFF stands at the intersection of technology and art, bridging creators, works and audiences, to collectively envision what cinema may become.
01 / FILMS & SCREENINGS
Selections are judged on intention, narrative coherence and cinematic language. Technology is not a reason for selection. The film is.
Film titles, credits and imagery on this page are placeholders for layout only and do not constitute an official selection; the final programme, stills and screening details will be announced separately.
02 / CATEGORIES
From features to vertical micro-film, from music video to immersive experience—eight categories covering the forms AI cinema takes. Rules and deadlines will be published in the official call.
45+ min. Fiction, animation and documentary features where AI plays a substantial creative role.
1–45 min. Narrative, animated, experimental and documentary shorts.
15 sec – 10 min, 9:16. Works made for the mobile-first viewing era.
15 sec – 5 min. Ads, branded content and commissioned AI film work.
AI-generated visual work set to music, original or licensed.
VR, AR, XR, interactive film and game-like narrative experiences.
Concept art, storyboards, character and world design for AI-led productions.
Open exclusively to currently enrolled students, with dedicated support prizes.
Choose the category that matches the form of your work; each film may be entered in one category only. Category definitions and awards follow the official call.
03 / PHILOSOPHY
WHERE HUMAN IMAGINATION MEETS NEW TECHNOLOGY
Cinema has always evolved alongside technology. From photography and digital filmmaking to virtual production and artificial intelligence, every shift brought new tools—and new questions. Yet technology alone does not make a film meaningful. What matters is not only how an image is created, but what a story expresses and who it moves.
Technology Expands the Frame. Imagination Defines Cinema.
技术拓展边界，想象定义电影。
Visual invention and artistic intent in AI-driven cinema—the search for a new film aesthetic.
New structures, new points of view, and the wider possibilities of immersive imagination.
How humans and machines create together, and how a filmmaker forms a distinct voice.
Exchange between cultures, ideas and art forms—so that more stories find their audience.
04 / NEWSROOM
OCT 2026
Organised around one idea—beyond generation—the first edition establishes four strands: competition, screenings, creators and public programme, together with the structure of eight entry categories.
05 / PROGRAM & EVENTS
Structure only for now. Dates, times and venues will be published once confirmed.
06 / CREATORS
Directors, writers, visual artists and curators on how they make decisions in a new medium.
I am not interested in what AI can do. I am interested in a person's face while waiting for something that will never happen.
Technology changed how we shoot. It did not change why I want to tell this story.
Every generation is a failure, until one of them begins to speak.
We are not judging model capability. We are judging whether someone actually made a film.
07 / GET INVOLVED
SUBMIT · ATTEND · PARTNER