AI Film Festival in Venice: The Future of Filmmaking Measured
venetië, zaterdag, 6 september 2025.
During the second edition of the Reply AI Film Festival in Venice, the boundaries of artificial intelligence in the film industry were showcased. More than 2,500 submissions from 67 countries participated, with ‘Love at First Sight’ by Jacopo Reale winning the top prize. The festival focused on the integration of AI in creative processes, from screenwriting to animation, and emphasised its impact on the future of cinema. Jury chair Gabriele Muccino saw AI as a ‘tsunami that will completely change the world’.
Winners and Highlighted Films
The winner of the top prize, ‘Love at First Sight’ by Jacopo Reale, received €8,000. Reale noted: ‘Winning Love at First Sight is not only a great honour, but also an incentive to further explore the visual and narrative possibilities that AI offers.’ The second prize of €5,000 went to ‘The Cinema That Never Was’ by Mark Wachholz, who described the film as his ‘love letter to the lost dreams of the cinema.’ The third prize of €2,000 was awarded to ‘Un Rêve Liquide’ by Andrea Lommatzsch. Additionally, ‘Instinct’ by Marcello Junior Costa received the Lexus Visionary Award, while ‘Clown’ by Shanshan Jiang won the AI for Good Award [1][2].
Impact of AI on Creative Processes
The festival focused on the integration of AI in creative processes, from screenwriting to animation. Jury chair Gabriele Muccino emphasised the enormous impact of AI: ‘AI is reaching a point that is incredibly challenging, truly a tsunami that will completely change the world.’ The winning films demonstrated how AI can be used to tell new stories and create visual effects that would otherwise be impossible [1][2].
Technology and Creativity
The films shown utilised various AI technologies to enhance their creative processes. ‘Love at First Sight,’ for example, used AI for script generation and creating realistic animations. Director Jacopo Reale explained: ‘The combination of human creativity and AI offers new possibilities in filmmaking.’ These technologies provide filmmakers with new tools to realise their vision and tell their stories in innovative ways [1][2].
Future Perspectives
The second edition of the Reply AI Film Festival in Venice marked a significant step in the integration of AI in the film industry. Filmmakers and technologists envision a future where AI becomes an essential part of the creative process. Filippo Rizzante, CTO of Reply and jury member, stated: ‘The award-winning short films show that technology does not replace artistic sensitivity, but rather amplifies it, offering young talents new opportunities to experiment with languages, emotions, and innovative visions.’ The next edition of the festival is already planned for 2026 in Venice [1][2].