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An outdoor performance of “Gospel Down by the Riverside,” part of Zach Theater’s Songs Under the Stars concert series, on April 1, 2021. The theater will host the Second Annual Austin AI Film Festival on Oct. 16-17.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Suzanne Cordeiro\/American-Statesman<\/p>\n
The second annual\u00a0Austin AI Film Festival<\/a> is coming to The Topher at Zach Theater Oct. 16-17.\u00a0<\/p>\n Organizers describe the event as a gathering for filmmakers, creators and technologists to share the process, tools and workflows behind AI-supported films.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Festival speakers include founders and CEOs of companies that engage in AI-assisted film creation, such as Nik Kleverov of Native Foreign, Pinar Seyhan Demirdag of EVRN, Jason Fisher of StageRunner, C. Sean Yuksel of GRAFX Co. & Dreamspace, Billy Boman of Boman Studios and more.<\/p>\n \u201cThe most exciting storytelling happening today is coming from creators pushing generative tools past their limits,\u201d the Austin AIFF website says. \u201cWe believe those filmmakers deserve a platform, and audiences deserve a direct line to how the art gets made.\u201d<\/p>\n Not everyone in Austin agrees.\u00a0<\/p>\n Redditors, community members raise concerns<\/p>\n A billboard reading “Billy Bowman,” the name of the Stockholm, Sweden-based founder of AI production company Boman Studios, is pictured on March 25, 2026 in Los Angeles. The billboard, designed to mimic the Hollywood sign, promoted Fiverr’s AI-driven creative and video creation services platform. Bowman has created AI-generated videos for Google and Universal Music Group.<\/p>\n Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images<\/p>\n \u201cInspired by this, I\u2019m announcing the first annual Pflugerville AI Poetry Festival. Read riveting poems generated by Chat GPT, Siri, and Windows Copilot. Attend our workshops on how to type ‘generate a poem for me’ into an AI chatbot,\u201d Redditor u\/hiphoptomato<\/a> wrote in a post that garnered nearly 100 responses.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n One user expressed disbelief that Austin\u2019s Zach Theater would host an AI film festival.<\/p>\n Nicole Shiro, a representative of Zach Theater, told the Statesman the celebrated regional theater is aware of concerns\u00a0raised by members of the community and \u201ctakes that feedback seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe Austin AI Film Festival is a third-party rental of Zach Theater\u2019s facilities and is not produced or presented by Zach, nor does Zach have any creative involvement,\u201d Shiro said.<\/p>\n On Reddit, some questioned the validity of using artificial intelligence to create content.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cCrazy that people that use AI to make \u2018art\u2019 use words like \u2018make,\u2019 \u2018create, \u2018professional,\u2019\u201d Redditor u\/NightSprings665<\/a> wrote. \u201cIf you type descriptive sentences into a generative AI platform to make movies you are NOT an artist. You have never \u2018made\u2019 or \u2018created\u2019 anything.\u201d<\/p>\n But not all responses were negative. Redditor u\/JohnGillnitz<\/a> wrote that there is a place for AI in storytelling.<\/p>\n \u201cI have seen works that were really well written and could have been big budget productions if they had the funding behind them,\u201d he said. \u201cEvery art form has its cringe beginnings where they try to be another form they have been derived from. Photographs and films were the same way when they started. AI will find its place.\u201d<\/p>\n The Statesman has reached out to representatives for the Austin AI Film Festival and has not yet received a response.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Austin Film Festival has rules against AI\u00a0<\/p>\n The “Texas Cotton” red carpet and film premiere at the Austin Film Festival at The State Theatre on Oct. 29, 2018 in Austin.<\/p>\n Rick Kern\/Getty Images<\/p>\n The festival arrives as debates about AI in filmmaking are roiling the industry.\u00a0<\/p>\n After a recent letter to the editor<\/a> from a former University of Texas film student criticized the Austin Film Festival for a lax approach to AI, a festival representative contacted the Statesman to say AFF has adopted strict rules and regulations against the use of AI in festival submissions. <\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u201cAs we are known as ‘The Writer’s Festival,’ we couldn’t agree more that originality is vital,\u201d Kayla J. Williams said in a Sept. 25 email to the Statesman.<\/p>\n AFF does not accept films with any use of AI software in the writing or creation of the film, and any film under consideration needs to disclose any use of AI in the finished film. The festival also has an \u201cOriginality\u201d clause<\/a> for all screenplay, playwriting and fiction podcast competitions.<\/p>\n Austin Film Festival takes place Oct. 29 through Nov. 5 in theaters around Austin. Badges and film passes are on sale now.\u00a0<\/p>\n Attend the Austin AI Film Festival<\/p>\n The first day will feature keynotes, panels and demos. Panels will focus on brands and commercial work, building intellectual property and directing. The second day will include fireside chats with industry leaders, screenings of AI films by finalists and an awards presentation.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cAAIF exists to put these directors in front of the community, create a room where the work is celebrated on the big screen and the craft is shared openly,\u201d the website says.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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