Winner of the Reply AI Film Festival Announced
Canadian director Robert Gaudette won first place in the international competition with his short film created using artificial intelligence tools.
Canadian filmmaker Robert Gaudette won the Reply AI Film Festival 2026 with his short film produced using artificial intelligence technologies.
Festival and Award Ceremony
Canadian filmmaker Robert Gaudette was awarded first place at the Reply AI Film Festival 2026 with his short film titled A Face Only A Mother Could Love. This international competition is organized to explore the new boundaries of artificial intelligence in cinematic language.
The award was presented on Sunday, September 6, in Venice at a ceremony organized by Reply and Mastercard at the Match Point Arena set up at the Tennis Club Venezia on the Lido, as part of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
High Participation and Final Process
More than 3,000 short film submissions from 76 different countries were made to the third edition of the Reply AI Film Festival this year.
Ten films managed to reach the finals based on originality, production quality, and the success of integrating artificial intelligence into various stages of the creative process from script to post-production. The international jury, chaired by Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores, determined the winning entry.
Subject of the Film and Production Process
Robert Gaudette's AI-powered short film that impressed the jury tells the story of Marcel, a lonely Parisian dancer born with facial disfigurement.
To overcome the lack of budget, cast, and crew, utilizing tools such as Grok, Nano Banana, and Seedance provided the only viable way to bring the script to the screen.