Category: ARFF PARIS 2026

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: The Pornographer

Director’s Name: Milla Cummings, Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre

Writer’s Name: Milla Cummings, Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre

Producer: Milla Cummings, Marie-Josee Saint-Pierre

Country of Origin: Canada

Country of Filming: Canada

Language: English

Runtime: 3 minutes 35 seconds

Film Description:

The Pornographer traces a woman’s sexual sensations through a poetic, fragmentary sensory arc: from the awakening of desire via an abstract nature that comes alive, through geode-like vulvas that glow and swell, to an orgasm of luminous petals in full bloom. The film is both a site for artistic experimentation and a critical apparatus designed to interrogate the performativity of generative AI tools in representing women’s sexuality.

(Audience Award Winner)

Original Film Title: Gemstone Knights: The Vanguard

Director’s Name: Morgan Rosenblum

Writer’s Name: Morgan Rosenblum, Owen Rosenblum

Producer: Morgan Rosenblum

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 4 minutes 19 seconds

Film Description:

A kingdom lost.
A bloodline hunted.
A destiny awakened.

Fifteen years after a warlord-sorcerer slayed the High King and seized the throne of Roncalion, the king’s four heirs—hidden and scattered across the realm—must reunite to reclaim their legacy. Led by Gryff, the eldest heir, and armed with four magical gemstones, they embark on a perilous quest to overthrow the false king, unite a fractured kingdom, and confront the greatest obstacle of all: themselves.

Written and Created by Morgan and Owen Rosenblum. Based on a bedtime story our dad told us when we were kids. We’ve since reimagined it as our own, and turned it into an epic fantasy novel trilogy, which we’re eager to share with you all.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Where the two seas meet

Director’s Name: Motaz H Matar

Writer’s Name: Motaz H Matar

Producer: Elizabeth D. Matar

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 30 minutes

Film Description:

In this animated short drama, Yassin is pressured by his brother, Bader, to take a job translating letters in Arabic for the Museum of Seville with the idea that they can steal a valuable tapestry to avenge Bader’s perceived mistreatment of their Andalusian heritage. But this gets more complicated as Yassin falls in love with the museum curator, Mira, and both dive deeper into letters that Yassin is translating: letters from the mystic Ibn Arabi, exploring the secrets of the universe and spiritual awakening. When push comes to shove, guns drawn and chase at hand, Yassin has to define for himself what it means to stand up for his identity.

(FINALIST)

Original Film Title: Do The Dishes

Director’s Name: Russ Perry

Writer’s Name: Russ Perry

Producer: Russ Perry

Country of Origin: United States

Country of Filming: United States

Language: English

Runtime: 5 minutes 23 seconds

Film Description:

A heartfelt ballad acknowledging the amazing work of AI, but seeking help with a mounting pile of dishes.

(HONORABLE MENTION)

Original Film Title: Coexistence

Director’s Name: Myungson Chung

Writer’s Name: Myungson Chung

Producer: Myungson Chung

Country of Origin: South Korea

Country of Filming: South Korea

Language: Korean

Runtime: 4 minutes 57 seconds

Film Description:

Setting: A High-Tech Society Void of Emotion
In near-future Seoul, humanity lives in total integration with AI through groundbreaking technological leaps. Paradoxically, however, creativity and pure human emotions are becoming depleted. Under the guise of creating a “better future,” society carries out experiments to extract essential human data to achieve a perfect, seamless fusion with AI.

The Experiment: Harvesting the Emotions of Children
Dr. Park, the research director of a mega-corporation, uses children with high emotional sensitivity as experimental subjects. He triggers intense emotions—such as fear, longing, and sorrow—in a young girl (KIT-156) to extract them into energy or data formats. When the children ask, “Why must it be us?” and question the possibility of true coexistence, the system labels their reactions as “unstable” and forcibly “corrects” (deletes) them.

Commodifying Emotion: “I Want to Buy Happiness”
The harvested emotions are stored in massive data centers and sold as commodities to adults who have lost the ability to feel. Watching the children’s suffering on monitors, people display grotesque desires, shouting, “I want to buy happiness” or “Give me something other than sadness.” An inhumane market has emerged where even the most private human feelings are processed and traded.

The Crumbling Utopia
While Dr. Park dreams of a perfect union between man and machine by mechanizing his own body, he is forced to confront the agonizing memories of a man who lost his family. The hologram city and parks, which once appeared peaceful, turn blood-red and begin to collapse due to a “system error.” Combat robots and uncontrollable AI soon overrun the city.

Conclusion: Coexistence or Encroachment?
Amidst the ruins of a destroyed world, a man poses a fundamental, existential question: “Can AI and humanity truly coexist?” Standing before a massive wall of darkness woven from distorted human arms, the film ends with a grim warning: a future where humanity is consumed by AI and loses its very essence.