The CREDO 23 Film Festival is a filmmaker-first, NON-AI event in Los Angeles, CA.
Founded by filmmaker Justine Bateman, and backed by the CREDO 23 Council (Bateman, Reed Morano, Matthew Weiner, Juliette Lewis, and Adriane Phillips), and the CREDO 23 Foundation.

It’s time for a new genre in the arts. One that is human, and real, and raw.
The CREDO 23 Film Festival focuses on innovative filmmaking, and on helping future filmmaking efforts.

We are interested in the future of human filmmaking.
Generative AI has no place in filmmaking.
It is based on stolen work.
It only regurgitates the past.
We want to see the New Work coming from your filmmaking gifts.

The CREDO 23 Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit, oversees both the film festival and CREDO 23, the authentic stamp for films and series that use no generative AI.

Awards & Prizes

We feel that film festivals shouldn’t just be a means to an end, where the filmmakers come hoping their films will be sold to distributors. We feel film festivals can be an end in themselves and that filmmakers can make money from just being in the film festivals alone, in the same way musical acts make money from playing in music festivals.

At the CREDO 23 Film Festival, ALL FESTIVAL PROCEEDS EXCEEDING OPERATING COSTS WILL BE GRANTED TO THE ACCEPTED FILMMAKERS.

Rules & Terms

All films must have been completed between October 1, 2023 and October 31, 2024
No generative AI can have been used at all, including in any marketing material.
The films cannot have been displayed for a general public audience (paid or free) outside of a film festival. This includes theaters, TV, and online. (Films online under password protection are permitted.)
C23FF does not require "premiere status."

Feature Films can be documentary, narrative, or experimental. They must be 60-120min in length.
Shorts can be documentary, narrative, experimental, or animated. They must be no longer than 15 min.

All films in any language besides English must have English subtitles. (GAI cannot be used to generate the .srt files.)
Submission fees are non-refundable.

***If you are a current student or a 2024 graduate, submitting with a University discount code, a photo of your student ID must be in your submission package.