AI film contest draws 4,600 creators from 122 countries competing for $42K

Oscar-winning art director Tim Yip delivered a powerful message about preserving human emotion in AI filmmaking at the KlingAI NextGen Creative Contest awards ceremony in Tokyo. Speaking alongside industry leaders during the Tokyo International Film Festival, Yip emphasized that technology should serve as a tool rather than replace human creativity, as winners from over 4,600 global submissions demonstrated how AI enables deeply personal storytelling.

The big picture: The contest, which attracted submissions from 122 countries competing for a $42,000 prize pool, showcased how AI filmmaking tools are democratizing creative expression while maintaining focus on human emotion and authentic storytelling.

What they’re saying: Industry veterans stressed the importance of collaboration between humans and AI rather than replacement.

• “Technology is so strong, you have to get something more than, higher than the technology to make it as a tool, so not as a god,” Yip said during the panel discussion.
• South Korean director Lee Hwan-kyung, whose “Miracle in Cell No. 7” became a box office phenomenon, emphasized emotional authenticity: “I think it’s better to think about how we can collaborate together with AI so that we can bring this human emotion to the movies.”
• “I’m just personally hoping that the AI technology really slowly develops,” Lee joked, drawing laughter from the audience.

Key winners and their stories: The grand prize winner “Alzheimer” exemplified the contest’s focus on human-centered narratives.

• Chinese student C·one created the film inspired by a team member’s relative suffering from memory loss, using an oil painting aesthetic to depict cognitive decline.
• South Korean media artist Leammonn won an official selection award for “I’m Not a Robot” and envisions AI’s potential for interactive storytelling: “I imagine the future of the interactive film.”
• Polish filmmaker Dawid Meller’s “Lost & Found” also received official selection, with Meller describing AI as liberating: “I was collecting a lot of ideas, and there are many limits when you’re creating films and stories — you are limited by budget and technology and sometimes bad time of your collaborators. But with AI, I could finally free myself.”

How AI is democratizing filmmaking: Creators described how AI tools removed traditional barriers to high-quality production.

• Meller explained that a scene requiring half his film’s budget and weeks of traditional effects work was roughed out in five minutes using Kling AI.
• “Now, like, not only big Hollywood studios could afford to make really high quality productions,” he said. “Everyone, even smaller teams or single creators can actually do it.”
• C·one described his creative process: “When I use this AI tool, I just take the clean AI as the first step, like my camera. It’s a process for me to start to organize this story and to do real thinking about this storytelling.”

Yip’s experimental approach: The “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” Oscar winner shared insights from his own AI experimentation.

• He created an alien character searching for human ruins in empty space, describing the interactive process: “I talked to him, and he changed. He will react to me.”
• “Every time I’m not asking him to do what kind of things, but I am just asking him questions, and then they come up with all these reactions. So that I follow the reaction, and I come more deeper and deeper.”

Industry concerns and opportunities: Panelists addressed both the potential and pitfalls of AI in filmmaking.

• Yip warned against focusing too heavily on spectacle: “I worry about when we are still only working on the exciting moments, maybe after five years, no people have the really strong reaction of all that.”
• Lee suggested AI could help bridge traditional conflicts between screenwriters and directors by enabling rapid visualization of scenarios.
• The emphasis remained on collaboration: “The most important thing is to going back to reality, try to repeat, try to create. But I think AI is really for me, it’s very exciting because I try to push it in some human touch, really sensible human touch,” Yip said.

Platform growth: Kling AI, which hosted the event, has surpassed 45 million users globally and reached an annualized revenue run rate exceeding $100 million within 10 months of launch, with China, the U.S., and India leading contest submissions.

Looking ahead: Winners announced ambitious future projects combining AI with traditional storytelling techniques.

• C·one plans to create a new AI film about his hometown grasslands while exploring better integration with traditional methods.
• Leammonn expressed interest in developing interactive films to combat social isolation.
• Meller revealed he’s working on both a traditional sci-fi comedy and a fully animated AI series.