Entry rules: running time allowed
The rules of 17 of the 25 festivals cover the running time allowed. The reading met most often is “A minimum and a maximum”, for 9. The table sets every festival's reading beside the words of its rules. As of 2026-09-25.
| Festival | Reading | In the rules |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Billion AI Film Award | A minimum and a maximum | 7 to 10 minutes, subtitled in English |
| Academy Awards | None in the rules read | None in the rules read (2026-09-25) |
| African AI Film Festival | Set per category | 1 to 10 minutes for shorts, animation and student work; 5 to 20 for documentary |
| AI Cinema Festival NYC | None in the rules read | None in the rules read (2026-09-25) |
| AI Film Festival Japan | None in the rules read | None in the rules read (2026-09-25) |
| AI for Good Film Festival | A minimum and a maximum | 1 to 10 minutes, completed between September 1, 2026 and May 1, 2027 |
| AI International Film Festival | None in the rules read | None in the rules read (2026-09-25) |
| AI Shortest Film Competition | A maximum only | Up to 60 seconds |
| Artefact AI Film Festival | A maximum only | No more than 314 seconds |
| Astana AI Film Festival | A minimum only | 3 minutes or longer |
| Bochnia International AI Film Festival | A minimum and a maximum | 1 to 15 minutes including credits |
| Chroma Awards | A minimum and a maximum | More than 90 seconds and under 22 minutes; longer films lose points |
| Cinema Shift Festival | None in the rules read | None in the rules read (2026-09-25) |
| Higgsfield Global Film Festival | A minimum only | At least 3 minutes; 5 minutes recommended as a maximum, longer still eligible |
| Human vs. AI Film Festival | A minimum and a maximum | 1 to 30 minutes, credits included |
| K-Culture AI International Film Festival | None in the rules read | None in the rules read (2026-09-25) |
| LifeArt AI Film Festival | None in the rules read | None in the rules read (2026-09-25) |
| Project Odyssey | A maximum only | Up to 15 minutes, with shorter caps for social, advertising and trailers |
| Reply AI Film Festival | A minimum and a maximum | 1 to 40 minutes, with longer films eligible only for a special mention |
| Runway AI Festival | A minimum and a maximum | 3 to 15 minutes |
| Runway Gen:48 | A minimum and a maximum | 1 to 4 minutes, made inside the 48-hour window |
| Sundance Film Festival | None in the rules read | None in the rules read (2026-09-25) |
| Turkey International AI Film Festival | A maximum only | Up to 20 minutes |
| World AI Film Festival | A minimum and a maximum | 5 to 10 minutes for short films |
| World AI Film Festival USA | Set per category | Set per category: 3 to 40 minutes for shorts, 40 minutes and up for features, 30 seconds to 3 minutes for vertical |
Inclusion rule. All 25 festivals on the register. Order. Alphabetical by festival name.
1About this rule
This rule records the running time a festival accepts. 9 give a minimum and a maximum, 4 a maximum only, 2 a minimum only, 2 set it by category, and 8 say nothing on their own site.
Running time can rule out a finished AI film on its own. A 60-second cap, a 314-second cap and a three-minute minimum cannot all be met by one cut, so a film meant for several festivals may need more than one version.
2Readings and their festivals
- A minimum and a maximum: 1 Billion AI Film Award, AI for Good Film Festival, Bochnia International AI Film Festival, Chroma Awards, Human vs. AI Film Festival, Reply AI Film Festival, Runway AI Festival, Runway Gen:48 and World AI Film Festival
- A maximum only: AI Shortest Film Competition, Artefact AI Film Festival, Project Odyssey and Turkey International AI Film Festival
- A minimum only: Astana AI Film Festival and Higgsfield Global Film Festival
- Set per category: African AI Film Festival and World AI Film Festival USA
- None in the rules read: Academy Awards, AI Cinema Festival NYC, AI Film Festival Japan, AI International Film Festival, Cinema Shift Festival, K-Culture AI International Film Festival, LifeArt AI Film Festival and Sundance Film Festival
3Festivals with a detailed reading
- 1 Billion AI Film Award — 7 to 10 minutes, subtitled in English
- AI for Good Film Festival — 1 to 10 minutes, completed between September 1, 2026 and May 1, 2027
- Astana AI Film Festival — 3 minutes or longer
- Reply AI Film Festival — 1 to 40 minutes, with longer films eligible only for a special mention
- Runway Gen:48 — 1 to 4 minutes, made inside the 48-hour window
- World AI Film Festival USA — Set per category: 3 to 40 minutes for shorts, 40 minutes and up for features, 30 seconds to 3 minutes for vertical
4The other rules
What the rules ask of AI · Saying which tools were used · Cost of entry · Latest deadline · Where winners are shown · What the entrant keeps or grants · Prizes
5Producing the entry with AI
For an entrant reading “Running time”, this is what SceneMixer publishes about the film its pipeline hands over:
An AI short drama is a serialized show of 60–120 second vertical episodes whose cast, sets and footage are generated by AI. Making one takes six steps: analyze the script into episodes, lock a consistent cast with reference art, localize for your market, write and edit storyboards, generate each 4–15 second shot, then composite and publish.
SceneMixer, How to Make an AI Short Drama, Step by Step (read 2026-10-13)
Length caps, dialogue grammar and the way a unit ends. Short drama forces explicit dialogue, a conflict in the first ten seconds and a hook at the close; film mode allows subtext and quiet endings and drops the per-unit cap.
SceneMixer, AI Movie Generator — “What is the difference between film mode and short drama mode?” (read 2026-10-13)