New York-based production company Modern Uprising Studios has teamed up with in-cinema marketing agency Screenvision to launch a new film festival designed to legitimize, and create new opportunities for, short films for kids that combine AI with human-made animation. 

The Frame Forward Animation AI Film Festival wants to be a launchpad for creators and showcase AI tools. It’s one of the world’s first international AI film festivals, and its inaugural edition will take place in March. Frame Forward is open to movies spanning all genres and audiences, but submissions have to be rated PG-13 or below, according to a spokesperson Kidscreen talked to. 

Film festivals have long been a key pathway for traditionally animated indie shorts to reach buyers and audiences. As more events like Frame Forward pop up, creators making projects with AI could soon have access to similar opportunities, and the tech could become more legitimized in an industry that’s still very wary about its threat to human creators.

There’s no cash prize for the fest’s three winning films, which will be determined by jury and audience vote. But Screenvision will leverage its relationships with cinema chains to get it some theatrical runs in 2026, along with trailers for the other shortlisted films. Screenvision has a network of 2,300 theaters (operating 14,000 screens) across the US. And both companies will also help the winning filmmaker get their project into other international film festivals. 

A submission window for Frame Forward is open now until December 30. Productions have to integrate AI tools into the creative or production process to be eligible. But there are no specific requirements around how much of the production has to be done by AI or humans.

Photo by Krists Luhaers on Unsplash