Check the AI rule before anything else
The AI rule can rule out an entry on its own. Runway wants generative video, Artefact wants AI in each phase of production, Higgsfield wants the film made on its own platform, while Reply only asks that AI be part of the process. From 4 source pages, read 2026-09-25; no maker pays to be listed.
A film can suit one of those and fail the next. Read the AI rule of every festival on a shortlist before running times or fees.
Where a rule is vague, the organiser's FAQ often settles it; Reply's says a film need not be fully AI-generated.
Keep the wording of each rule next to the film's own description of how AI was used.
| Festival | Rule | What the rules say |
|---|---|---|
| Runway AI Festival | AI use | The film must include generative video |
| Artefact AI Film Festival | AI use | At least one generative AI tool in each of pre-production, production and post-production |
| Higgsfield Global Film Festival | AI use | Films made entirely within the Higgsfield ecosystem |
| Reply AI Film Festival | AI use | AI must be part of the creative process, not necessarily generative AI |
Inclusion rule. Readings from the register cited on this page. Order. The order they are discussed in.
1The wording in the rules
Includes the use of generative video within the film.
Runway AI Festival, 2026 page
You must have used at least one Gen AI Technology in each of the 3 phases of film production: pre-production, production, post-production.
Artefact AI Film Festival, rules page
a $1,000,000 USD cash-prize competition of skill for filmmakers creating short cinematic work entirely within the Higgsfield ecosystem
Higgsfield Global Film Festival, official rules
No categories, no limits. We welcome every genre, every style, every vision – as long as AI is part of the creative process.
Reply AI Film Festival, home page
- Submission criteriaThe film must include generative video
- Submission criteriaAt least one generative AI tool in each of pre-production, production and post-production
- OverviewFilms made entirely within the Higgsfield ecosystem
- Film typesAI must be part of the creative process, not necessarily generative AI
2Producing the entry with AI
For an entrant reading “Check the AI rule before anything else”, this is what SceneMixer publishes about the film its pipeline hands over:
The script is written from the photos and the one-line description. In step-by-step mode you can rewrite it before anything is shot.
SceneMixer, How to Make an Ad from One Photo — “Do I need a script?” (read 2026-10-13)
SceneMixer writes dialogue into the script analysis, assigns each line to a shot with a speaker and a short delivery note, and the video model performs it — picture and audio generated together, so the mouth forms that sentence in the language you chose.
SceneMixer, AI Dialogue Generator (read 2026-10-13)