AI International Micro-Drama Festival

SUBMISSION ELIGIBILITY AND CONTENT FOCUS
We accept micro-dramas, micro-comedies, micro-thrillers, micro-mysteries, micro-romances, micro-horror, micro-documentaries, mini-series, pilot episodes, and any other short-form episodic or stand-alone work. Live-action, hybrid AI, fully AI-generated, animation, motion graphics, documentary, and experimental formats are all welcome.

Submissions must either:

1a. Represent excellent short-form storytelling in any genre and any aspect ratio. Use of AI tools to assist with or generate visuals, animation, story elements, music, singing, sound, characters, script, translation, or dubbing is welcome but NOT required.

OR

1b. Engage with artificial intelligence as a theme — exploring the possible consequences (direct or indirect, intentional or unintentional, positive or negative) of the broad implementation of AI now or in the future. See the festival description for theme examples.

1c. ACCEPTED ASPECT RATIOS
We accept ALL aspect ratios, including but not limited to vertical (9:16 and similar), horizontal / widescreen (16:9), cinematic (2.39:1, 2.35:1, 1.85:1, anamorphic), square (1:1), classic (4:3), portrait (3:4), and any other creative aspect ratio.

1d. ACCEPTED PLATFORMS AND CONTEXTS
We accept ALL PLATFORMS WORLDWIDE. Content inspired by, designed for, or optimized for any short-form platform is welcome — and content produced independently of any specific platform is equally welcome. This includes but is not limited to: global social platforms (TikTok, YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, Snapchat Spotlight); dedicated micro-drama apps with multiple regional editions (ReelShort, DramaBox, ShortMax, GoodShort, FlickReels, DramaShorts, PineDrama, Minivela, Shorta); Chinese platforms (Douyin, Kwai / Kuaishou, Duanju, WeChat Channels, Tencent Video, Xiaohongshu, Bilibili); Korean and Japanese platforms (KakaoTV, Naver TV, LINE VOOM, Abema TV); South Asian platforms (Moj, Josh, ShareChat, Chingari, Roposo, Zee5 Shorts, MX Player Shorts, Hoichoi, JioCinema, Disney+ Hotstar); Southeast Asian platforms (Viu Shorts, WeTV, iQIYI, Vidio, TrueID, VTVgo, FPT Play, Galaxy Play, iWantTFC, Vivamax, Astro Go, sooka, mewatch, iflix, Likee); Oceanian platforms (DRIPFED.TV, Flex, 9Now Stories, Stan, Binge, 7plus, 10 Play, SBS On Demand, ABC iview, TVNZ+, ThreeNow); Middle Eastern and North African platforms (Scene, Seera, BlingWood, Tesliya, Shahid / MBC, StarzPlay Arabia, TOD, Weyyak, Jawwy TV); Iranian platforms (Aparat, Filimo, Namava, Lenzor, Telewebion); African platforms (Binyuma TV, Showmax / Canal+ App, and regional platforms); and Russian, CIS, and Central Asian platforms (VK Clips, Rutube Shorts, Yappy, Kinopoisk, Okko, Start, IVI, Kinopark, Kinoplaneta, Mover.uz). Any other regional, national, or independent short-form platform worldwide is also welcome.

LENGTH GUIDELINES AND ENTRY-TYPE CATEGORIES
The festival organizes entries by LENGTH and by ENTRY TYPE. Each length and entry-type category has its own entry fee and its own set of awards.

2a. The running time and episode count automatically determine the category. Submitters should FIRST select the correct length category , THEN proceed to add whichever specific awards (Genre category, Artistic category, or AI Future) they want their film to compete for. Multiple entries receive a substantial discount (see discount schedule).

2b. The jury grants awards separately within each length and entry-type category so that works compete against others of comparable scale.

COPYRIGHT, MUSIC LICENSING, AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IMPORTANT INFORMATION)
3a. All submissions must be 100% original. Unlicensed edits, mashups, or copied content are not permitted.

3b. FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR RIGHTS. By submitting your work, you warrant and represent that you are the sole owner of all rights, titles, and interests in the intellectual property (including but not limited to original footage, music, images, and likenesses) incorporated into your submission, OR that you have secured all necessary permissions, licences, and clearances for all third-party content used. The AI International Micro-Drama Festival will only accept submissions where the applicant is the owner of all necessary rights for the use and exhibition of the submitted work.

3c. MUSIC AND LICENSED AUDIO. Many social media platforms (for example TikTok, Instagram, Douyin, Kwai, KakaoTV, and similar) offer libraries of pre-licensed music for use within those specific applications for non-commercial personal use. These platform-specific licences generally DO NOT extend to exhibition or distribution outside those platforms, including film festival exhibition.

It is the sole responsibility of the submitter to clear all music rights for festival exhibition. If your submission includes music from a platform's library, commercially released songs, or any other copyrighted audio, you must hold a valid synchronisation licence, master use licence, or a legally defensible claim to "Fair Use" (or the equivalent exception under your jurisdiction, such as "Fair Dealing" in the United Kingdom, Canada, India, South Africa, and Australia, or the limitations and exceptions recognised under the Berne Convention and national copyright laws elsewhere).

If your work uses pre-selected music from a platform's library, please provide written proof of licensing or ownership. Without this, we may not be able to screen the work publicly. We strongly advise the use of royalty-free music, original compositions, or music for which you have explicit, broad licensing for festival exhibition.

3d. AI-GENERATED CONTENT AND LIKENESSES. Submitters are responsible for ensuring that any AI-generated content (visuals, audio, text, voice, performance) does not infringe upon existing copyrights, trademarks, publicity rights, or moral rights. This includes ensuring that AI models used were legally trained and that generated output does not violate intellectual property held by third parties.

For AI-generated or altered likenesses of individuals, submitters must ensure all necessary consents and releases have been obtained — especially when creating synthetic performances, voiceovers, or portrayals of real individuals (living or deceased).

3e. INDEMNIFICATION. By submitting your work, you agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the AI International Micro-Drama Festival, The AI Project (its parent non-profit organisation), and its representatives, partners, and affiliates from any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, and expenses (including legal fees and court costs) that may arise from any claim involving copyright, trademark, publicity, credits, screening, intellectual property infringement, or any other legal claim related to your submission.

3f. NO VERIFICATION BY FESTIVAL. While the festival may conduct preliminary checks for obvious copyright issues, we cannot determine with certainty which music, images, likenesses, or other content violate intellectual property rights or qualify as permitted use under the many international, national, and regional laws. The festival expressly disclaims any responsibility for copyright infringement or other intellectual property violations arising from submitted works.

GENERAL SUBMISSION AGREEMENT
4a. RIGHTS TO USE PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. You authorise the festival to use, distribute, and share the work's poster, trailer, synopsis, images, and stills on our social media, on our website (aimicrodramafest.org), on FilmFreeway, with educational institutions, with the press, and through other communication channels for promotional and archival purposes.

4b. Entry fees are NON-REFUNDABLE.

4c. Multiple submissions are allowed, and each work may be entered in multiple categories.

4d. You may re-submit your work for subsequent monthly editions.

4e. SUBTITLES REQUIRED. ALL submitted works MUST include very legible English subtitles or closed-caption English-language options, regardless of the spoken language. This requirement is essential for our international jury to evaluate every submission fairly. Additional subtitles in any other language (Chinese Simplified or Traditional, Spanish, Portuguese, French, Arabic, Hindi, Korean, Japanese, Russian, Persian / Farsi, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, or any other language) are welcome and encouraged, but legible English subtitles or closed captions are REQUIRED for all works.

4f. The festival reserves the right to judge which works are selected, awarded, or screened. Judges' decisions are final and non-negotiable. No individual feedback will be provided for non-selected works.

4g. The festival reserves the right to reclassify submissions or to grant awards in categories other than those selected by the submitter, where this better reflects the artistic achievement of the work.

4h. The festival does not offer or pay screening fees.

CONTENT NOT ACCEPTED
5a. The following are strictly prohibited: explicit sexual content or nudity; graphic violence, blood, or self-harm; promotion of illegal drugs, weapons, or any unlawful behaviour. The festival does not accept content designed to promote extremist ideologies, hate speech, or propaganda (as defined at the festival's sole discretion). Content from religious or political organisations will not be accepted.

5b. Works explicitly promoting political parties, candidates, or partisan campaigns will be disqualified. However, fictional or documentary explorations of political ideas or of AI's impact on society are welcome.

5c. Works with a poor production standard (for example unclear audio, missing English subtitles or closed captions, or very low video resolution) may not be accepted.

NOTIFICATION AND AWARDS
6a. Selected submissions, Awards, Honourable Mentions, and Screening selections will be notified according to the schedules listed on FilmFreeway. The festival is not responsible for schedule delays.

6b. IF YOU WIN AN AWARD CATEGORY:
You will receive an Award Certificate and Award Laurels.
You may order a trophy for your specific category (price list available on request).
Some award categories may have co-sponsors providing additional prizes. One award or prize will be given to the winner designated on the official entry form.
If multiple creators are listed, the submitter will be considered the primary recipient. Additional trophies or certificates may be ordered at the submitter's expense.

SCREENING INFORMATION
7a. The judges choose which works will be shown at the festival screening event. Preference may be given to works that have not been shown to the public prior to the festival screening (World Premieres).

7b. If your work is accepted for a live screening event, you will receive two (2) festival passes per submitted work to see all festival works free of charge, plus admittance for one person to the Opening Night Event for each category in which your work has been selected.

7c. If selected for a live screening event, all screening copies must be received a minimum of five (5) days prior to the screening date.

7d. If your work is accepted and you choose to attend the festival screening event, you are responsible for your own travel, lodging, visa, and all other expenses.

SUBMISSION LOGISTICS
8a. If submitting for individual recognition awards (for example Best Actor, Best Director, Best Student Work), please list the individual's name and the specific award category in your FilmFreeway cover letter to ensure the jury can identify the work correctly.

8b. If providing photos with your submission, we recommend file names that include the name of the talent, the submitter, the date, and the work
title — this helps us properly credit your photos in festival materials and press coverage.

8c. Students must present a valid Middle School, High School, or University / College student identification card to receive the student discount. International student identification cards (including ISIC) and equivalent national student identification documents are accepted.

8d. The festival, at its sole discretion, may disqualify any work it considers inappropriate.

FOR FILMMAKERS IN REGIONS WITH INTERNET RESTRICTIONS
FilmFreeway is our official submission platform. We understand that direct access and video uploads may be difficult in certain regions (for example Mainland China, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Syria, North Korea, Turkmenistan, and other regions where access to FilmFreeway or international video uploading may be restricted). If you experience difficulties accessing FilmFreeway or uploading your work, please contact us directly at aimicrodramafest@gmail.com to arrange an alternative upload method. This may include a secure cloud storage link (for example Baidu Netdisk / 百度网盘, Tencent Weiyun / 腾讯微云, Google Drive, Dropbox, WeTransfer, pCloud, Yandex Disk, Picofile, Soroush Plus, or other region-appropriate services). Please ensure any shared links are publicly accessible or shareable with our festival email address.

FESTIVAL RIGHTS AND GENERAL PROVISIONS
10a. The festival is granted the right to use an excerpt from any work submitted and accepted for exhibition for promotional purposes.

10b. The festival reserves the right to use images and video clips from submitted works for publications, public relations, advertisements, and the posting of images or video clips on the internet (including our websites, social media accounts, and FilmFreeway listings for the AI International Micro-Drama Festival).

10c. Producers, distributors, or other persons or organisations submitting a work must confirm that all third parties involved in the production agree to their participation in the festival. The festival's contractual relationship will be exclusively with the submitter, and not with other persons or organisations involved in the work.

10d. All stated information, eligibility guidelines, submission guidelines, terms, and rules of submission are subject to change by the AI International Micro-Drama Festival at any time, without notice.

10e. DATA PROTECTION. Submitters consent to the festival processing the personal data transmitted as part of the application for all purposes relating to festival operations. Submitters confirm that they have the right to make the contact details of third parties available for this purpose. Submitters may revoke this consent at any time but will therefore be disqualified from the festival. The festival complies with international data protection regulations, including the European Union GDPR, the United Kingdom Data Protection Act, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA / CPRA), Brazil's LGPD, China's PIPL, India's DPDP Act, and other applicable national data protection laws. Your data will not be sold or shared outside the context of festival operations.