AI Movie Awards Reveals 30 Finalists Ahead of London Ceremony

Oct. 22, 2026

The AI Movie Awards (AIMA), in partnership with James Drake Media has announced the 30 finalists competing at its second edition in London this November. The films were selected from more than 500 submissions from 57 countries and will screen at the Institution of Engineering and Technology in Savoy Place on 7th and 8th November, with the winners announced at the awards ceremony on 8th November.

The finalists span categories including Best Short, Best Animation, Best Thriller, Best Sci-Fi, Best Ad, Best Music Video. Running times range from under a minute to over one half an hour, and the line-up includes entries in the advertising and music categories introduced this year as AIMA widens its scope beyond film.

Federico Luglio, Director of AI Movie Awards, said:

"Every one of these films earned its place on the strength of its storytelling, and we're looking forward to seeing the work on the big screen in London, in front of the jury and an industry audience."

The finalists will now be judged by the AIMA jury, which includes David Barron, Hollywood producer whose credits span the Harry Potter films, Tommy Harper, producer of Mission: Impossible, Top Gun and Star Wars, Academy Award-winning visual effects artist John Gaeta, known for The Matrix trilogy, VFX and AI supervisor Stuart Cripps, whose work includes Transformers: Age of Extinction and The Day After Tomorrow, and Grammy-nominated Milli Vanilli artist Fab Morvan. Tech strategist, founder and Forbes journalist Maureen Kerr will also join the panel programme.

The two-day event will bring together panel discussions, workshops and Q&A sessions with leading industry experts, and culminates in the awards ceremony. AIMA launched in Magaluf, Mallorca earlier this year, where it drew over 300 submissions from 37 countries and 200 attendees from more than 20 nations. The London edition is held in partnership with James Drake Media.

The finalists

• Henry, directed by Emanuele Riccetti
• A Face Only A Mother Could Love, directed by Robert Gaudette
• Unmerciful, directed by Sam Hearn
• They Came When We Left, directed by Justinas Vosylius
• The Finding, directed by Vincenzo Lo Re
• A Single Thing, directed by Jaime Max
• Shifters pt 1, directed by Eike Swoboda
• By Your Side, directed by Avaren
• IRON, directed by Giulio Fulchignoni
• Nix, directed by Anton Ariki
• Happy Harry, directed by Michèle Petersen and Michel Eggers
• The Pastor Says, directed by Mikhail Wolkonsky
• When You Run From Your Mum, directed by Edmond Yang
• Cempasuchil, directed by Melanie Nox
• The Gift, directed by Junho Her
• Elara & The Ash King, directed by Marcus Grip
• REDDOOR, directed by Tengiz Tadumazen
• Green Apples_My Grandma, directed by Liu Cici and Xiangying Wang
• Maria, Maria, directed by Alex Marco and Tomas Bucetto
• The One Who Watches, directed by Leighanne Fernandes
• The Detective, directed by Jae Solina
• The Gosari Monsoon, directed by Eungyu Lee
• The Trials, directed by Hal Watmough
• Candy, directed by Jiaze Li
• Most Ideas Die in Notebooks, directed by Julien Paolini
• Pizza Heist, directed by Tamara Llorens
• Glen Avon, directed by Emanuele Di Bacco
• Oasis, directed by Glen Jacques Park
• Performance Improvement Plan, directed by Jacky Wong
• Twilight Zone, by Adam Valu