Frame Forward

OPEN TO ALL FILMMAKERS

Submissions now closed

WIN

THREE NOMINEES FEATURED on movie screens!

Three selected nominees are hand-picked by our award-winning Industry Jury.

All three nominated films are launched nationwide, and promoted on the big screen in American movie theatres!

ONE WINNER BREAKS THROUGH!

The festival awards the winner:

1: A theatrical release through Screenvision Media on movie screens nationwide.

2: Studio adaptation of the winning film for immersive distribution.

3: Studio-supported submissions to worldwide film festivals.

YOU HAVE THE PASSION. YOU HAVE THE IDEA. YOU HAVE THE TOOLS.

YOUR AUDIENCE AWAITS, AND WE’RE EXCITED TO DISCOVER YOUR TALENT!

Frame Forward Animated AI Film Festival Jurors

FRAME FORWARD ANIMATED AI FILM FESTIVAL
SHORT FILMS, CREATED BY YOU, WITH AI TOOLS

ABOUT

THE FESTIVAL

The Frame Forward Animated Al Film Festival is a groundbreaking global competition, designed to uncover and spotlight the new generation of Al-empowered filmmakers.

Modern Uprising Studios & Screenvision Media have launched this exciting Al short film initiative to cultivate, curate, showcase, and amplify exceptional animated storytelling, powered by creatives equipped with all that advanced artificial intelligence has to offer.

Nominees and the winner of Frame Forward will see their work featured in movie theatres, in Screenvision’s Front + Center network in the top cities in the US.

The winner will also receive theatrical exhibition of their short film, followed by production support from the Modern Uprising Studios to adapt and expand their winning film for immersive distribution.

But that’s not all! The winning film will also receive distribution support and studio-backed entry into leading film festivals worldwide!

ABOUT

THE COMPETITION

Submissions are accepted from around the world. You can gain access to US movie theatres, industry players, and audiences.

As long as you’re over 18 and tell us specifically how Al was used to bring your creative vision to life, we’re thrilled to accept your entry!

Maximum runtime: Five minutes, including the provided Frame Forward Animated Film Festival bumper, and your credits.

Provide: Your poster, and a background image pulled directly from your film.

Include: A description of your film, under 5,000 characters, and hard subtitles for any non-English dialogue.

We’ll need just a little bit of information about you too!

Modern Uprising Studios is here to discover new and exciting talent and voices. As long as you keep it “PG-13” *, tell your story your way!

* MPA: PG-13-Parents Strongly Cautioned. Some Material May Be Inappropriate for Children Under 13.

ABOUT

THE SELECTION PROCESS

Once you’ve submitted your animated short film, it will be screened for basic compliance by producers and executives from the Frame Forward Animated Film Festival committee.

Industry jury nominees are selected by our festival luminaries: A jury of ward winning industry players and experts.

The winner will then be determined from the three nominees by public voting. Voting is driven with promotion in US movie theatres and the festival digital channels, and promoted and hosted on the festival website.

The winning film will be showcased and exhibited in US movie theatres by Screenvision Media, the immersive production adaptation from Modern Uprising Studios, and their backing to enter and distribute the winning film on the international film festival circuit.

Nominated films will be featured on the Frame Forward Animated Film Festival site and channels, and promoted in US theatres by Screenvision Media.

The winning film will be exhibited in US theatre chains by Screenvision Media and featured on the Frame Forward Animated Film Festival site and channels.

Adaptation of your film for immersive distribution, including expansion and enhancement, is supported by Modern Uprising Studios, along with submission of your film to relevant traditional worldwide film festivals.

Not only are we looking for great short films, we’re hunting for your talent! If the Modern Uprising Studios team spots your unique work or voice, and sees the potential, whether or not you’re selected as a finalist, we will want to talk!

ABOUT

YOUR SUBMISSION

Submit your PG-13-equivalent animated Al film, running at under five minutes in total length (including credits and festival bumper video), in a 16:9 aspect-ratio. And rest assured, the running time of your film has no bearing on your chance of winning. Just make your film the right length to tell your story!

1: Create an animated running less than five minutes long, minimum HD/1080p, in 16:9 aspect ratio.

2: Append the Frame Forward Festival bumper video to the beginning of the film.

3: Create a poster for your film.

4: Pull a key image from within your short film.

5: Generate a suggested thumbnail image for YouTube.

6: Hard-code English subtitles anywhere where another language is spoken.

7: Write an engaging description of your film of no more than 5,000 characters.

8: List the Al tools and platforms used, with a little detail on how you implemented each of these tools in your creative process.

9: Tell us a bit about yourself as a filmmaker.

10: Hit SUBMIT!
The nitty-gritty details are all laid out, including your terms and conditions agreement, in the submission form.

Everything goes up at once, so get it all together, and enter your masterpiece in the director-powered Frame Forward Animated Al Film Festival.

We’re on the lookout for exciting creative voices, beyond this year’s festival!

Good luck, and we’re thrilled to see what this crop of directors can do with human vision, enabled by Al!

SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE ANNOUNCEMENT

The Frame Forward AI Film Festival proudly announced their stellar panel of jurors, featuring an all-star group of thought leaders, award-winning creatives and innovators.

In response to an overwhelming reception, the festival extended the deadline for filmmaker entries beyond the new year. Submissions accepted until the final extended deadline of January 18, 2026, at 12:00AM EST.

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Lighthouse Academy’s Frame Forward Awards Supplement

Grand Prize Scholarship: The winner receives a full tuition waiver for one of any future Lighthouse AI Academy cohort, a package valued at €3,000.

Finalist Grants: All finalists are awarded a 10% discount, on €3,000 standard tuition, applicable to any of the Lighthouse Academy advanced AI courses.

Incubator Access: Finalist projects with recognized potential gain exclusive entry to the Lighthouse Incubator, a dedicated program designed to develop creative projects into viable real-world commercial products.

Industry Gateways: All finalist nominees with recognized fit gain studio introductions with partners such as Wonder and Kartel through Lighthouse Academy.

Lighthouse Live Spotlight: The winner will be featured in an exclusive Lighthouse Live deep-dive session, hosted by Academy Co-Founder Luka Tisler, to break down their film and workflow.