1. Eligibility
The AI Film Festival Japan 2025 (“the Festival”) is open to creators of all nationalities, ages, genders, and backgrounds. Participants must be at least 18 years of age or the legal age of majority in their country of residence, whichever is higher. Entry is void where prohibited by law.
Each submission must involve the use of artificial intelligence in a meaningful part of the creative process (e.g., in scriptwriting, visual generation, animation, editing, or sound design). Team submissions are allowed, but one individual (the “Team Representative”) must be identified as the main contact and authorized to act on the team’s behalf.
2. Submission Guidelines
Films may be in any language, but English subtitles are required for all non-English dialogue.
Runtime: 1 to 20 minutes.
Resolution: Full HD (1080p) minimum.
Aspect Ratio: 16:9 preferred, unless artistically justified.
Accepted Formats (for final screening): MP4, MOV (H.264 or ProRes).
All entries can be submitted through FilmFreeway. Submission fees are non-refundable. Films must be completed before submission and not subject to significant re-editing after selection.
Premiere status is not required, but world and Japan premieres are given priority. Selected works may be excerpted (up to 15 seconds) for promotional use.
3. Judging Criteria and Selection Process
Submissions will be reviewed by a diverse jury of filmmakers, technologists, and curators based on:
Artistic and narrative quality
Originality and innovation
Integration and creative use of AI
Overall impact and storytelling
Each entry will be scored by multiple judges. All jury decisions are final. Selected filmmakers will be notified approximately 4–6 weeks before the event.
4. Intellectual Property & Use Rights
By submitting, participants confirm they hold all rights to their work and grant the Festival a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to screen the film during the event and to use excerpts and promotional materials for publicity and archiving.
Participants retain full ownership of their work. Any additional usage (e.g., distribution or extended licensing) will be subject to separate written agreements.
5. Disqualification
The Festival reserves the right to disqualify any submission that:
Violates copyright or intellectual property rights
Contains hate speech, pornography, illegal content, or incitement to violence
Includes harmful code or software
Is found to have been fraudulently submitted
6. Data & Privacy
Personal information collected during submission (e.g., name, email, project description) will be used solely for festival operations and communications. Please refer to our full Privacy Policy for more information.
7. Limitation of Liability
The Festival and its organizers shall not be held responsible for any damages, claims, or liabilities arising from your participation. By entering, participants agree to release the organizers from all such claims.
8. Amendments
Festival rules and terms are subject to change. Updates will be posted on our official website. Continued participation after updates constitutes agreement to the revised terms.