THE MAY 9 Music Video Festival
HOLLYWOOD, CA — The AI International Film and Music Video Festivals (aifilmfest.org and aimusicvideofest.org) continue their exploration of the future of cinema — this time in one of Hollywood’s experimental theater spaces.
On Saturday, May 9, the AI International Film Festival and AI International Music Video Festival return to the LAPAC Promenade Playhouse black-box theater for an intimate afternoon and evening celebrating exceptional AI-driven storytelling from around the world.
Screening the top shorts out of 178 international submissions, filmmakers and music video creators from around the world watch and critique each other’s works, and share insights in dynamic Q&A sessions with the audience. In addition to filmmakers and crews attending in person, 16 international filmmakers join us live on screen from locations across the globe.
The awards show brings filmmakers, VIPs, and audience members into a shared space designed for creativity as much as cinema. VIP ticket holders will be seated with filmmakers and film crews wherever possible.
SCHEDULE OF EVENTS:
2:30 PM — RED CARPET ARRIVALS & WELCOME RECEPTION (LOUNGE)
Filmmakers, VIPs, and Guests participate in arrivals, red carpet, filming, interviews, reception.
3:00 PM — AI INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL (THEATER)
Screening the top shorts out of 150 international submissions, one at a time. Filmmakers participate in live discussion with the audience after each individual screening.
4:30 PM — AI INTERNATIONAL MUSIC VIDEO FESTIVAL (THEATER)
Screening the top music videos selected from global submissions, one at a time. Music Video makers participate in live discussion with the audience after each individual screening.
5:15 PM — AWARDS CEREMONY (THEATER)
Audience Choice Awards and Jury Awards for both Festivals.
5:45 PM — POST-SHOW RED CARPET INTERVIEWS & NETWORKING (LOUNGE)
Filmmakers, VIPs, and Guests participate in red carpet filming and interviews.
6:00 PM onward — AFTERPARTY (L'ANTICA PIZZERIA DA MICHELE)
Filmmakers, VIPs, and Guests enjoy drinks and food in a casual setting.
Get Your Tickets Today
Join a growing community of filmmakers, writers, actors, technologists, and creative artists exploring the future of cinema. The previous two Festivals on March 1 and April 8 2026 sold out.
Secure your seat at the table where the future of cinema is being written.
MaY 9 SELECTED MUSIC VIDEOS
“Marina Tsvetaeva - Requiem. ” - ARTESS D. - Russia - 2025 - 3 min - World Festival Premiere - JURY AWARDS: Best Art Direction
What might be a requiem for the brilliant poet and writer Marina Tsvetaeva?
Marina Tsvetaeva - Requiem stands out through its emotional boldness and unapologetically dramatic style. The work does not aim for neutrality or polished distance, it goes directly for intensity, and that commitment gives it a strong sense of authorship. The music, visual rhythm, and performance all feel driven by the same internal force: a need to express rather than simply impress.
What makes the piece effective is that its excess feels intentional. The drama is not ornamental, it is the language of the work. There is a rawness to the construction that makes it feel less like an AI exercise and more like a personal visual song-world shaped by a singular sensibility. Even when the execution leans heightened or melodramatic, it remains watchable because the artist is clearly invested in the emotional transfer of the piece.
The recurring self-insertion also works in its favor. By placing himself inside the mythology of his own work, the director strengthens the feeling that this is not just generated imagery, but a constructed emotional universe with a recognizable hand behind it.
Messy in places, maybe, but it has what many AI works lack: a pulse, a point of view, and the courage to overfeel. He doesn’t care about being diplomatic, he cares about transmitting the story into sound and image.
“B:Razem “Eyes on Me!” - Svetlana (Sola Aicine), Bekanova - Russia - 2026 - 3 min - World Festival Premiere - JURY AWARDS: Best Use of AI in Visual Creation, Best Editing
How can energy, focus, and passion overcome restrictions and societal limits?
B:Razem “Eyes on Me!” is a visually forceful and energetically charged piece that commits fully to its manifesto-driven concept. The camera work, choreography, and musical intensity create a compelling rhythm, making it highly engaging on a sensory level. The imagery is bold, layered, and unapologetically symbolic, delivering a work that feels both ambitious and confident in its direction.
At the same time, the piece invites a more complex reading in its representation choices. While it positions itself as a statement on power, resistance, and liberation, the use of polished K-pop-style performers introduces an interesting tension between message and image. This contrast does not necessarily weaken the work, but it does raise questions about how power is being framed and embodied. Still, as a music video, it stands out for its energy, distinctiveness, and strong visual identity.
“Just a Cup of Coffee” - Do young Jung - South Korea - 2026 - 3 min - World Premiere - JURY AWARDS: Best Music Video, Best Social Message - AUDIENCE CHOICE: Best Music Video
What can a cup of coffee tell us about human relationships?
Just a Cup of Coffee presents a thoughtful and emotionally resonant concept, using a simple encounter to explore how private memories and unresolved pain shape human connection. The idea of transparent floating helmets as visual representations of emotional residue and invisible psychological barriers is both fresh and effective, giving the film a clear symbolic identity without becoming overly literal.
What makes the piece stand out is its restraint. Rather than overloading the viewer with spectacle, it builds meaning through small gestures, emotional implication, and a well-maintained tone. The relationship between image, story, and music feels coherent, with the song supporting the atmosphere rather than competing with it. The result is a music video that feels emotionally unified and visually intentional.
Its strongest quality is that it captures a modern loneliness in a way that feels both accessible and poetic. The film understands that intimacy is often not destroyed by dramatic conflict, but by the quiet weight of what people carry unseen. That idea lands clearly and beautifully.
A fresh and emotionally intelligent music video that turns inner trauma into a clean, memorable visual language.
“Drive for Friday's Clear Eyes★The Eight Legions ” - Chowul Kim - South Korea - 2026 - 5 min - World Festival Premiere - JURY AWARD: Best Art Direction
How might an industrial punk video poetry road movie look?
Drive for Friday’s Clear Eyes ★ The Eight Legions contains a striking and memorable visual world, with imagery that feels genuinely authored rather than merely assembled. The burning guitars, blue PVC bags, divided geography, and circular dance all create a strong symbolic language, and the first segment in particular carries a compelling tension between political imagination, longing, ritual, and surreal performance. It leaves room for interpretation without needing to over-explain itself, which works in its favor.