One cut rarely fits every festival
Running-time rules on the register do not overlap cleanly. The AI Shortest Film Competition caps films at 60 seconds, Artefact at 314 seconds, WAIFF in Cannes at 10 minutes for shorts, Reply at 40. From 5 source pages, read 2026-09-25; no maker pays to be listed.
Higgsfield sets a three-minute minimum, so the 60-second and three-minute rules cannot both be met.
Plan the festival list before the edit and decide which versions to make: a short cut, a standard cut and perhaps a longer one.
Check whether credits count; Sparknify's limits include them.
| Festival | Rule | What the rules say |
|---|---|---|
| AI Shortest Film Competition | Running time | Up to 60 seconds |
| Artefact AI Film Festival | Running time | No more than 314 seconds |
| Higgsfield Global Film Festival | Running time | At least 3 minutes; 5 minutes recommended as a maximum, longer still eligible |
| World AI Film Festival | Running time | 5 to 10 minutes for short films |
| Reply AI Film Festival | Running time | 1 to 40 minutes, with longer films eligible only for a special mention |
Inclusion rule. Readings from the register cited on this page. Order. The order they are discussed in.
1The wording in the rules
Up to 60 seconds long
Forward Festival, AI Shortest Film Competition by LTX
Films should be a maximum of 314 seconds.
Artefact AI Film Festival, rules page
Minimum 3:00 minutes (hard requirement).
Higgsfield Global Film Festival, official rules
A.I. Short Films Duration: 5–10 minutes.
World AI Film Festival, competitions page
Your AI short movie must be between 1 and 40 minutes long.
Reply AI Film Festival, how it works
- RequirementsUp to 60 seconds
- Submission criteriaNo more than 314 seconds
- At a glanceAt least 3 minutes; 5 minutes recommended as a maximum, longer still eligible
- Short films5 to 10 minutes for short films
- FAQ1 to 40 minutes, with longer films eligible only for a special mention
2Producing the entry with AI
For an entrant reading “One cut rarely fits every festival”, this is what SceneMixer publishes about the film its pipeline hands over:
Paste a scene or a short script and SceneMixer gives you a storyboard — numbered shots with framing and seconds — and then a moving version of each segment, which you can join into a rough cut of the scene.
SceneMixer, Using SceneMixer for Previs and Animatics Before a Live-Action Shoot (read 2026-10-13)
The default for text stays the cheaper tier; Recommended is the badge on the tier the site suggests for hard episodes.
SceneMixer, Doubao Seed Evolving: the recommended text tier — “Is Recommended the same as default?” (read 2026-10-13)