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.
Deadline
May 31, 2026
Notification
June 5, 2026
Event
June 20 · Hollywood
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.
AI-Embracing Filmmakers
TBA
Working directors using AI in production.
AI-Skeptical Filmmakers
TBA
Working directors who reject AI tools.
More announced · Designed for balance
From the selections
"Vertical doesn't mean small. It means close."
The Quiet Fight
Dir. Omar Reid
Last month, in the room
A taste of what happens.
▶
Vimeo · coming shortly
Jonathan Perry & Michael Eng
Artist Spotlight · "Glasswork"
Yubin Kim
South Korea · "Cup of Coffee"
Patrick Hampton & Oxana Volostnikova
Russia
Thomas Haus
Ukraine
Maria Haras
Panelist
Jonathan Perry
Panelist · "Glasswork"
Robin Warren
Panelist
Andy Oliva
Panelist
Louie Pecan
Panelist
Oxana Volostnikova
Russia
Maria Haras
Panelist
Vol. 22
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.