AI short film competition “AIsolation”

Program description

This competition is aimed at filmmakers, artists, content
creators and all AI enthusiasts and invites them to submit AI-based short films of a maximum length of five minutes. Participants are encouraged to express their experiences, perspectives and visions on the call title "AIsolation" in their work, challenging and aesthetically reflecting on the use of AI tools or the collaboration between humans and AI to explore the boundaries of visual language.

The aim is to encourage a critical examination of artificial intelligence and its social impact.

The winner of the "Best Artistic Innovation" category will receive a
international visitor trip (destination: Germany or East and Central Asia)
(valid until 2026). The winner of the category "Most Courageous Visionary of the Future" will receive VR glasses.

Up to 20 other remarkable works will be presented as part of the regional
project "ALLEINSEIN: Loneliness and Freedom" at Goethe-Instituts, at HAU
Hebbel am Ufer with the digital stage HAU4 and at other partner institutions such as cultural centers and film festivals in East and Central Asia and Germany - as well as on other digital platforms. The Goethe-Institut will inform the nominees in advance about the presentation on the platforms.

Institution

Goethe Institute

The Goethe-Institut is the globally active cultural institute of the Federal Republic of Germany. The Goethe-Institut promotes knowledge of the German language abroad and fosters international cultural cooperation.

Funding period

The final event with film screenings, award ceremony and discussions is expected to take place in September 2025. The digital presentation will take place in the second half of 2025 on the online platforms of the Goethe-Instituts and on HAU4 (www.hau4.de).

Funding types (non-commercial)

Participation

Funding criteria

• The competition is open to filmmakers, artists, content creators, AI enthusiasts, students and anyone else who is interested;
• Short films of up to 5 minutes should be created. Films created entirely or partially with AI models will be accepted if the jury considers that AI was used to a necessary extent in the creation process;
• Participants may choose any genre to represent their perspectives on the subject matter. Participants are also welcome to explore and redefine the boundaries of artistic expression with AI-generated images;
• Documentation (e.g. screenshots) of the working process between humans and AI should be provided with the submission;
• The submitted films should be own productions and must not contain any copyright infringements. The Goethe-Institut is not obliged to check the entries submitted by participants for potential infringements of third-party rights.

Additional conditions

• Finalists are obliged to grant the Goethe-Institut and HAU Hebbel am Ufer the rights for the public screening of their entries as well as the use of related promotional materials both online and offline until December 31, 2026;
• Films can be submitted with or without language, but should be subtitled in English;
• There is no premiere requirement for the competition entries;
• Only one entry per participant will be accepted. No revised versions will be accepted after successful submission.

Application type

by e-mail

Application procedure/documents

Please send the documents via Wetransfer to: aisolation@goethe.de. Successful submitters will be notified by email from the Goethe-Institut.

The submission documents must include the following materials: a video file (1920 x 1080, .mov, .mp4, .mpeg, .avi.), a one-page PDF file (name, cell phone number, e-mail address, short biography, short description of the work in Chinese and English), a one-page file (pdf, png, jpg) as documentation of your collaboration with KI and the signed declaration of film submission.

Jury/Decision-making body

The selection will be made by a jury jointly appointed by the Goethe-Institut and HAU Hebbel am Ufer, consisting of international experts in the fields of film, art, humanities and technology. The jury's decision is final and cannot be appealed. The decision will be announced in early July on the social media of the Goethe-Instituts and their partner institutions. The reasons for the award will be announced by the jury during the closing ceremony. No reasons will be given for non-winning entries.

The Goethe-Institut reserves the right to make the final declaration of the selection decision. By submitting an entry, the participant agrees to all terms, conditions and guidelines of the competition.

Funded by

The Goethe-Institutes in East and Central Asia - including Beijing, Seoul, Tokyo, Ulan Bator, Almaty, Tashkent and the Department of Culture and Education of the Consulate General of the Federal Republic of Germany Shanghai - together with HAU Hebbel am Ufer, here in particular with the digital stage HAU4.

Funding area

Germany

Funding source of the institution

federal government