About the AI Short Film Showcase
The AI Short Film Showcase is a curated screening program running continuously throughout both days of AI on the Lot 2026, hosted inside the Culver Theater at Culver Studios. The program presents short films produced using artificial intelligence as a core part of the filmmaking process – spanning narrative, documentary, animation, experimental, and hybrid forms.
The theater operates as an open, ambient venue during conference hours. Attendees may enter and exit freely between sessions. There are no scheduled showtimes; the program runs on a continuous loop from open to close each day.
This is not a film festival. There are no awards, no jury, and no competitive element. The showcase exists to surface the range of creative and technical work being done at the intersection of AI and filmmaking, and to give that work a physical, communal context during one of the largest AI gatherings in Los Angeles.
What Is AI on the Lot?
AI on the Lot is the largest AI media conference at the intersection of artificial intelligence and the entertainment industry. Hosted annually in Los Angeles, the event brings together over 1500 founders, filmmakers, studio execs, investors, and filmmakers in the AI video space for a two-day summit. It is the physical epicenter of the AI media scene in Los Angeles.
Learn more at the AI on the Lot website.
Eligibility Requirements
To be considered, submissions must meet all of the following criteria:
- The film must have been produced using AI tools in a meaningful and intentional capacity (AI-generated imagery, animation, or visual effects; AI-generated or AI-assisted audio, music, or voiceover; AI tools used in editing, color, or post-production workflows; or generative AI used in script or narrative development)
- The film must be 20 minutes or under in total runtime
- The film must have been completed in 2023, 2024, 2025, or 2026
- The submitting party must own or control the rights to screen the film publicly, including all music, audio, and visual elements
- A screener link must be provided at the time of submission. Incomplete submissions will not be reviewed
- Films that explore AI as a subject are welcome, but thematic relevance alone does not qualify a film. The primary eligibility criterion is production methodology: AI must have been used in making the film
Submission Information
Does submission guarantee selection?
No. Submission does not guarantee selection. The program has limited capacity and films will be selected based on quality, variety of form, and fit with the overall program.
Do selected filmmakers receive conference badges?
Selected filmmakers are responsible for purchasing their own badges to attend the conference. Badge information is available at aionthelot.com
What is the file delivery deadline?
Selected films must be delivered as a final export file no later than May 15th, 2026. Films submitted without a deliverable-ready file by that date will be removed from the program.
Will films be edited or excerpted?
No. AI on the Lot will not alter, edit, or excerpt submitted films. Films will be screened in full.
What rights do I grant by submitting?
By submitting, filmmakers grant AI on the Lot 2026 a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to screen the film at the event. No additional distribution rights are implied or granted.
When is the submission deadline?
Submission deadline: May 1st, 2026. Notification of selection: May 10th, 2026. File delivery deadline: May 15th, 2026.