About this Event
Tiktok, Insta, YouTube, Micro-dramas meet the public debate on AI vs. Live-Action.
?️ Red Carpet Arrivals, Welcome Reception
? Expert panel discussion with top AI micro-drama filmmakers
? International filmmakers join live via Zoom
? Screening top international AI films + music videos
? Audience + Jury Awards
? Afterparty at Mel's Drive-In Hollywood
? What June 20 looks like
Curated screenings, one micro-drama series or pilot at a time, with live Q&A after every premiere. Audience and jury awards across 50+ categories. The Expert Panel — booked for balance, not consensus. Hollywood afterparty.
Any genre. Any language. Live-action, hybrid, AI — all welcomed.
The Conversation: an industry, at an open question
Vertical micro-drama is openly divided on AI's role in production. Platforms are choosing sides. Unions are renegotiating. Filmmakers are deciding.
As a 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit, we host that conversation in public — on stage, in front of the performers, writers, directors, and crew whose lives the answer will shape.
Expert Panel: where is micro-drama headed?
• Joan Webb — Virtual Production Pioneer, Unreal Expert
• Peter Hyoguchi — Writer, Director, VFX + Ai Supervisor
• Rachel Greenhoe — Performer/Writer (AI's effect on performers)
• Michael Eng — Award-winning AI Filmmaker
• Other Panelists — with varying positions on AI in Vertical
Not advocacy. Not consensus. The honest debate, in public.
Submitting work? You can request a waiver for inclusion in the June 20th show until Friday June 12th. Submissions to filmfreeway.com/aimicrodramafestival.
Bring us the work we haven't seen yet. Any aspect ratio, any language. Live-action, hybrid, AI — all welcomed.
? Submission deadline for next month: June 30, 2026
? Runtime: 60 seconds and up
? The Room
Black Box theater, red carpet arrivals, screenings, Award Show, and an afterparty at Da Michele. VIP ticket holders are seated with filmmakers wherever possible.
⏱️ Run of Show
3:30 PM — Red carpet & welcome reception (Lounge) Arrivals, red carpet photography, on-camera interviews, and a welcome reception.
4:00 PM — AI International Film Festival (Theater) The top micro-dramas selected from international submissions, screened one at a time. Live Q&A with the filmmaker after each — in person or live from around the world.
5:00 PM — Awards Show (Theater) Audience Choice and Jury Awards for both festivals.
5:20 PM — Expert Panel (Theater) Working filmmakers and industry guests on where this medium is going and what's changing right now.
6:00 PM — Post-show red carpet & networking (Lounge) More red carpet, interviews, and mingling with filmmakers and guests.
6:20 PM onward — Afterparty at Mel's Drive-In Drinks, food, and networking at the legendary Hollywood diner — a few minutes from LAPAC.
About this festival
We are the AI International Film Festivals — a California 501(c)(3) educational nonprofit dedicated to public conversation about AI's role in storytelling, media, and society. Since December 2021, we've hosted 21 events, and curated work from 2,000 creators, in 70+ countries.
Recent editions sold out. Get your tickets soon.
aifilmfest.org · aimusicvideofest.org · aimicrodramafest.org · Stream the Films
Join filmmakers, creatives, technologists, and curious artists for an intimate social afternoon at LAPAC, where films screen one at a time and the conversation happens live.
Get your tickets now - previous events have sold out.
See aifilmfest.org and aimusicvideofest.org
The Venue & Parking The LAPAC Promenade Playhouse, an intimate, black-box theater located inside the respected Los Angeles Performing Arts Conservatory. We are situated just one block from the Dolby Theater, the Chinese Theater, and the Walk of Fame.
- Bonus for Los Angeles: FREE dedicated parking is available right behind the building at 1539 McCadden Place.
Agenda
?: 02:30 AM - 06:30 PM
Schedule of Events
Info: 2:30 PM — RED CARPET ARRIVALS & WELCOME RECEPTION (LOUNGE)
|
3:00 PM — AI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (THEATER) |
4:20 PM — AI INTERNATIONAL MUSIC VIDEO FESTIVAL (THEATER)
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5:00 PM — AWARDS SHOW (THEATER)
| 5:30 PM — EXPERT PANEL (THEATER)
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6:00 PM — POST-SHOW RED CARPET INTERVIEWS & NETWORKING (LOUNGE)
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6:20 PM onward — AFTERPARTY (MEL'S DRIVE-IN)
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Untitled agenda
Official Film Selections:
Info: Day in Nevada (Romania) – A hilariously confident and witty adventure.
Model Professor (US) – A thoughtful exploration of AI in academia.
Fear Naught (Poland) – A dark, mockumentary-style portrait of fear and obedience.
Nashville Payphone (US) – A quiet time-lapse observation of connection and change.
A Nest in My Heart (South Korea) – A powerful reflection on memory and childhood.
TAKE ME. WANT ME. (US) – A hypnotic, immersive visual experience.
The Elimination of Franz Kutschera (Poland) – A tense, historically-grounded hybrid production.
Costa Verde (France) – A magnetic, nostalgic film built on the sensations of childhood summers.
Mutt (Philippines) – A heartwarming story of war told entirely through the eyes of a dog.
Untitled agenda
?: 03:00 AM - 06:00 PM
Official Music Video Selections:
Info: The Distance of Power (UK) – A forceful critique of the machinery of war.
fEVER (US) – An expansive, mythopoetic journey through the US-Mexico borderlands.
Elephant (South Korea) – A gentle, introspective K-pop narrative.
Milivojka (Slovenia) – A heart-wrenching Slavic tale of love and loss.
Freedom (US) – A poetic, classically composed portrait of 1930s Louisiana.
Répète si c'est oui (France) – An offbeat, authentic electronic track.
NOTHING HAPPENED (UK) – A conceptually clear representation of modern paralysis.
Event venue & nearby stays
Los Angeles Performing Arts Conservatory, 1534 Highland Avenue, Los Angeles, United States
Concerts, fests, parties, meetups — all the happenings, one place.