CLOWD Announces 22 Finalists from 11 Countries for Inaugural AI FILM Festival
International filmmakers bring a new generation of AI storytelling to the big screen October 7–8
GLENDALE, Calif. — September 2026 — CLOWD AI Film Festival today announced the 22 films selected as finalists for its inaugural festival, taking place October 7–8, 2026, at the historic Alex Theatre in Glendale, California.
Representing filmmakers from 11 countries, the finalists offer an unusually broad look at what is emerging as artists around the world put artificial intelligence in the hands of storytellers. The program spans short narrative, music video, fantasy and utopian storytelling—from intimate human dramas and surreal dream worlds to futuristic societies, cybernetic landscapes and creatures hiding in the dust beneath our feet.
“This is exactly why we created CLOWD,” said Curt Doty, founder of the CLOWD AI Film Festival. “AI may be the technology behind these films, but technology isn’t the story. The filmmakers are. These 22 finalists show just how different the results can be when artists from different countries, cultures and creative disciplines get their hands on the same new toolbox.”
Doty added, “What surprised me most is how charming and human so many of these films are. We’re seeing filmmakers move beyond the novelty of AI imagery and begin using these tools to develop characters, emotion, humor and genuine points of view. That’s where things get interesting.”
The finalists will be presented theatrically at the Alex Theatre, alongside panel discussions examining the rapidly evolving intersection of filmmaking, artificial intelligence and human creativity, culminating in the CLOWD awards ceremony.
THE 2026 CLOWD FINALISTS
SHORT NARRATIVE
DOVES — Alex Lang, USA
Exhausted from evading a hungry hawk, a community of doves makes the curious decision to elect that same hawk as president, in a story set in post-WWII Eastern Europe.
KEV — Mike Bennion, USA
An intimate portrait in which Kev talks about being blind and the people and things that matter most to him.
THE WELL — Daniel Titz, Canada
Deep in the snow-covered woods, a trailer park becomes the setting for a darkly fractured fairy tale after the Wolf meets his grim end at the bottom of a well.
ELARA & THE ASH KING — Marcus Grip, United Kingdom
A fantasy adventure about courage and friendship set in a strange world threatened by a powerful ancient force.
A FACE ONLY A MOTHER COULD LOVE — Robert Gaudette, Canada
The story of Marcel Dupont, a man whose face only a mother could love—and whose mother has told him every morning for 38 years that he is beautiful.
WHEN YOU RUN FROM YOUR MOM — Edmond Yang, Norway
A boy moves between two worlds that refuse to hold still at the same time: his mother’s world and everyone else’s.
THE DEEP BREATH — Yuri Oh, South Korea
After her dream of settling abroad falls apart, Haewon returns to Jeju, where she comes into conflict with her grandmother, the respected leader of the local female divers.
DEPARTMENT OF GOOD MEMORIES — Caroline Kiessling, Canada
Inside a department devoted to storing good memories, an archivist discovers one memory that refuses to fit neatly into the category of “good.”
TWENTY SEVEN — Mike Bennion, USA
A conversation between ex-lovers becomes the center of this intimate short.
THE SIESTA JOB — Tamara Llorens, Spain
Old age is just a minor physical inconvenience that cannot extinguish their outlaw spirit.
MUSIC VIDEO
BANG BANG — Toby Hyder, United Kingdom
Set in 2126 in the fractured techno-state of Alt Albion, where nature and machine have fused beyond scientific understanding. The film is the official music video for Paul Oakenfold’s “Bang Bang.”
LIL SOMETHING — Diana Mota, Portugal
Zoey is an AI character whose presence at an exclusive private event has become a status symbol. The room needs her there. She doesn’t need the room.
TIC TOC ROCK — Martin Huisman, Belgium
Against the backdrop of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the video examines what global spectacle looks like from inside the endless social-media scroll.
HEROINE — Elle Cardenas, USA
A woman’s evening commute is interrupted by a figure of death who draws her into a dreamworld where time collapses.
SAISHO HA KAKUSEI — Jonathan Carène, France
A hyper-real music video set in the same universe Carène created for his newly launched Japanese anime series Saibā Riot (Cyber Riot).
FANTASY
ELSEWHERE — Roxanne Ducharme, Panama
A wordless journey through shifting worlds, strange beings and surreal visions, carried by an original score.
CRYSTAL CAVES — Joni Dobrov, USA
Set before the events of The Zim, three young couples abandon an elegant night in Elysian and embark on a forbidden journey.
LOT 94: DRINK YOUR DREAMS — Tamara Llorens, Spain
Trapped in the monotony of life in 1990s Spain, a lonely man decides he has had enough of feeling nothing.
THE DUSTLING — Josie Kaye, USA
An entire hidden world thrives beneath our notice. The Dustling explores the secret lives unfolding in the dust we sweep away—and what it means to find courage in the face of conformity.
WHAT THE DEEP KNOWS — Claudia Lalau, France
Beneath the surface, in a deep where bioluminescent light moves like memory, an ancient creature receives her gift. The Keeper does not destroy Meeva's fear; it transforms it, and sends something back.
UTOPIA
GITA — Alex Lang, USA
Inspired by the Hindu sacred text the Bhagavad Gita, the film transports its ideas into a future world experiencing first contact.
FUTURE SCENES FROM A MALL — Chien-Hua Soang, Taiwan
Over the course of a single day in an abundant near future, a chain of strangers travels toward—and through—THE MALL.
A GLOBAL SCREEN FOR A NEW KIND OF FILMMAKER
The finalists represent the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Norway, South Korea, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, France, Panama and Taiwan, reflecting the increasingly international nature of AI-assisted filmmaking.
CLOWD was created to focus attention not simply on what generative technology can produce, but on what filmmakers can do with it. The festival is platform agnostic and creator-first, with an emphasis on storytelling, human authorship, responsible AI practices and filmmakers retaining ownership of their work.
The inaugural event will bring the online AI filmmaking movement into a traditional theatrical environment—placing some of cinema’s newest production techniques on the screen of one of Southern California’s most storied independent movie palaces.
“Putting these films on the big screen matters,” Doty said. “We’ve spent the last few years watching AI video evolve one clip at a time on our phones and laptops. CLOWD asks a different question: Can you tell me a story? These finalists are beginning to answer it.”
The CLOWD AI Film Festival takes place October 7–8, 2026, at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California, with finalist screenings, panel discussions and the CLOWD awards ceremony.
You can preview these films and give them a vote for the ATTENTION award on the RAD.live site. https://rad.live/content/channel/clowd-ai-film-festival-3tApUq/
Festival passes are available through TheAlex.com. Additional festival information is available at ClowdFilmFest.com.
ABOUT CLOWD AI FILM FESTIVAL
CLOWD AI Film Festival celebrates filmmakers and storytellers exploring artificial intelligence as a new creative tool for cinematic storytelling. CLOWD brings together filmmakers, artists, technologists and entertainment leaders through theatrical screenings, competition, panel discussions and community, with a creator-first approach to intellectual property and an emphasis on the art and ethics of AI-assisted filmmaking.
Media Contact:
Curt Doty
Founder, CLOWD AI Film Festival
310.994.7810
curt@realmIQ.com
