Runway Welcomes Entries for the Return of Its AI Film Festival
AI video startup Runway has announced the return of its AI Film Festival, now entering its third year. The event, dedicated to showcasing AI-generated short films, will take place on June 5 in New York and June 12 in Los Angeles.
The AI Film Festival, akin to prestigious events like Cannes, is designed to celebrate artists who incorporate emerging AI technologies into their filmmaking process. Since its inception three years ago, the festival has aimed to foster discussions on the growing role of AI in film and to engage with diverse creators to gain insights into their artistic visions.
A distinguished panel of industry experts will judge the festival entries, including Runway CEO Cristobal Valenzuela, NVIDIA’s Richard Kerris, and Tribeca Enterprises’ Jane Rosenthal. Other jurors include professionals from Lionsgate, Imax, The Gotham Film & Media Institute, and Bento Box Entertainment.
In an exciting academic development, NYU Tisch School of the Arts will integrate Runway’s AI tools into its 2025 spring Masters in Virtual Production course, reinforcing AI’s influence on film education and production.
Runway has been at the forefront of AI-powered video creation, launching Act-One in October, a tool within Gen-3 Alpha designed to generate expressive character performances. The company also partnered with Lionsgate, the studio behind John Wick, giving the entertainment giant exclusive access to its AI tools for content creation. This collaboration positioned Runway as a leader in AI filmmaking, distinguishing it from competitors like OpenAI’s Sora. In December last year, OpenAI introduced Sora, its latest video-generation model, as part of its broader mission toward artificial general intelligence (AGI). However, Runway’s continued innovation and industry collaborations have helped it maintain a competitive edge in the evolving landscape of AI-driven film production.
