The Global
Festival for
Micro-Drama.
Vertical cinema, short-form,
and AI-era stories.
The brief
A showcase for the next generation of screen storytelling.
Micro-dramas and short-form series are reshaping how stories get made — and the industry is openly divided on AI's role.
Douyin 抖音
Kuaishou 快手
Hongguo 红果
TikTok
YouTube Shorts
Instagram Reels
ReelShort
DramaBox
WeChat 视频号
Bilibili
KakaoTV
LINE VOOM
FlareFlow
GoodShort
FlickReels
Naver TV
Snapchat Spotlight
Facebook Reels
Independent
Douyin 抖音
Kuaishou 快手
Hongguo 红果
TikTok
YouTube Shorts
Instagram Reels
ReelShort
DramaBox
WeChat 视频号
Bilibili
KakaoTV
LINE VOOM
FlareFlow
GoodShort
FlickReels
Naver TV
Snapchat Spotlight
Facebook Reels
Independent
Live-action · Hybrid · AI — all welcomed
Micro-Drama◆
Short-Form◆
短剧◆
숏폼 드라마
Awards
50+ awards across four families.
/ 01
Length Tiers
8 tiers
/ 02
Genres
13 genres
/ 03
Craft
22 awards
/ 04
AI Future
5 thematic
Submit
Bring us the work we haven't seen yet.
June 20 · Vol. 01
Selections locked
June 20 waiver
Request by Fri, June 12
Next show
July · deadline June 30
Runtime
60 seconds and up
Platform
FilmFreeway
Live in Hollywood
The work deserves a room.
June 20 · 2:30 – 6:00 PM
Vol. 01 · Micro-Drama edition
Open format
Any genre. Any language.
Romance
English
Thriller
Korean
Novela
Spanish
Interactive
Chinese
Anime
Japanese
Swipe→
The Conversation
Booked for balance.
Vertical micro-drama is the fastest-growing corner of screen storytelling — and it is actively divided on AI's role. Platforms are choosing sides. Unions are renegotiating.
As an educational 501(c)(3) nonprofit, we host that conversation in public — on stage, in front of the performers, writers, and crew whose lives the answer will shape.
Not advocacy. Not consensus. The honest debate, in public.
The Panel · June 20
Legal & Labor
Scott Mortman
Active in SAG-AFTRA AI negotiations.
Performer & Writer
Rachel Greenhoe
On AI's effect on working performers.
Creative Technologist
Louie Pecan
Leading creative technologist.
AI Filmmaker & VFX
Michael Eng
Award-winning AI filmmaker, VFX artist.
AI Filmmaker & Songwriter
Sha Sabi
Award-winning AI filmmaker, songwriter.
More Panelists
Announced soon
Varying positions on AI in vertical.
More announced · Designed for balance
From the selections
"Vertical doesn't mean small. It means close."
The Quiet Fight
Dir. Omar Reid
Earlier this month, in the room
A taste of what happens.
▶
Vimeo · coming shortly
Michael Eng
Panelist · VFX artist
Shana Nielson
Panelist
Wayan Palmieri
Panelist
Andy O & Drew Bird
Panel
Graham Tallman
Professor, NYFA
James Cipriano
"Cosmic Access Liaison"
Samy Ferrenbach
France · Actor
Jeff Rector
AI Media Festival
Patrick Hampton
Can I Screenwrite
A full room
Hollywood · June 6
Vol. 01
Micro-Drama
edition
edition
Jun 20, 2026
Swipe→
About
Curating AI-era cinema since Dec 2021.
Organized by The AI Project — a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit dedicated to public conversation about AI's effect on storytelling.