AI FILMS FLOOD FILM FESTIVALS
by Thomas M. Sipos,
managing editor [March 9, 2026]
[HollywoodInvestigator.com]
In June 2024, I received a
spam email with a link for At the Mountains of Madness, a
five minute AI generated film from Turkey. It was the first AI film
ever "submitted" (however unofficially) to the
Tabloid Witch Awards horror film contest. During the 2024 season,
I received a total of three AI film submissions.
For the 2025 season, the number of AI films
submissions rose to 14. And now, only a few months into the 2026
season, AI film submissions are up to 19 -- with over five months to
go.
Seeing this trend, I wondered if film
festivals are creating new AI film categories. More categories mean
more entry fees. Many years ago, I saw one horror film festival with a
Best Film Trailer, and even a Best Director's Reel, award category. So
why not a category for Best AI film?
From what I've seen, AI films aren't quite
there yet. There's something creepy about them (and not in a good
way). Their "actors" are too artificial to portray convincingly human
characters, with the distinctive personas and emotional depth that
human actors convey. Yet AI "actors" are too realistic to allow that
playful
suspension of disbelief that animation allows.
Even so, AI films are getting better. I
think we'll see some amazing and powerful works emerge from AI as the
technology advances and AI "filmmakers" improve their craft.
Back to my original question: Are
horror
film festivals creating AI film categories? But rather than conduct
tedious and numerous interviews, I asked an AI program.
The above was all written by me, a human.
The following was written by Grok:
Yes, there is a growing trend of horror film festivals
incorporating categories or showcases for AI-generated films, such as
Best AI Film or Best AI Animation Film. This reflects the broader rise
of AI tools in filmmaking, but it's met with mixed reactions -- some
festivals embrace it for innovation, while others ban or restrict AI
content due to concerns over authenticity and ethics.
The trend appears to have started in 2023, coinciding with the
mainstream adoption of generative AI technologies like Stable
Diffusion and early video models. Early examples include branded
events like the Airheads AI Horror Film Festival, which challenged
creators to produce AI-generated Halloween-themed shorts.
That same year, the Curious Refuge AI Horror Film Competition
launched its first edition, focusing exclusively on AI-created horror
content.
By 2024, established horror festivals began adding dedicated
AI sections, such as Portugal's MOTELX (Lisbon International Horror
Film Festival), which introduced an AI Horror Short Films Showcase in
partnership with an artist collective.
South Korea's Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival
(BIFAN) also featured AI horror works in its program, including a
premiere of an AI-generated Korean horror trailer during an AI-focused
conference.
As of 2026, the trend is accelerating, with more festivals
either adding AI categories or hosting AI-specific horror
competitions. However, not all are welcoming: for instance, the
Chicago Horror Film Festival explicitly prohibits AI-generated
submissions.
Discussions on platforms like Reddit highlight controversy,
with some filmmakers calling for boycotts of festivals that include AI
categories.
Estimating the exact number is challenging due to the niche
overlap, but based on available reports and festival listings, around
5-10 horror or genre-focused festivals worldwide have added
AI-specific categories or showcases since 2023. This includes:
* Dedicated AI horror events: Curious Refuge (annual since
2023), Airheads (2023).
* Traditional horror festivals adding AI: MOTELX (2024
onward), BIFAN (2024 onward).
* AI festivals with horror subcategories: MetaMorph AI Film &
Music Award (added Horror/Thriller in 2026).
The number could be higher if including general AI film
festivals (like Runway's AI Festival or AI International Film
Festival) that accept horror entries, as they often have open or
genre-agnostic categories.
The growth is evident in the proliferation of AI competitions,
with dozens now listed globally, though only a subset target horror.
This trend is likely to continue as AI tools evolve, but it
remains divisive within the indie horror community.
Okay, back to me, a human.
I have found that Grok isn't always
reliable. Its advice on fixing my computer bugs has been a mixed bag.
It's also provided some faulty information on actors' credits, relying
on IMDB, which is also less than perfect.
But as a human, I can attest that AI film
submissions to festivals are increasing at an exponential rate. It
makes sense that some festivals are opening their doors to them. I
expect both these trends to increase.
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