35 years ago we saw a wave of innovation in small budget filmmaking thanks to the indie film movement spinning out of the Sundance Film Festival. Since that era there has been other smaller movements. like digital video’s mumblecore era and similar cultural moments. But are we on the cusp of another revolutionary shift with the rise of Generative AI filmmaking?
That’s a question being asked in film circles, with Gen AI film festivals being staged around the globe.
Australia now has its own Gen AI film festival in the form of the DISRUPT AI Film Festival (DAIFF).
Agency TBWA is behind the new festival, which opens for submissions in July. The festival showcase and awards will then be held in October.
Mediaweek spoke with Lucio Ribeiro, TBWA’s Chief AI & Innovation Officer, about the awards and how it aligns with TBWA’s values surrounding disruption and the media arts.
1. What sparked TBWA’s interest in staging the DAIFF?
We recognised a cultural gap. GenAI film festivals are popping up globally, from New York to Berlin, but Australia was missing a national platform.
If we don’t build an Australian community around AI creativity , we risk letting others define the standards, ethics, and aesthetics. This is about keeping talent here, nurturing our own creative and technical economy. As The Disruption® Company, we can’t wait for the future to arrive — we need to build it. DISRUPT is a generational opportunity to shape our own creative culture, not copy others. It’s our stake in the ground: a national invitation for creators, technologists and students to lead, experiment, and express — together and shape what GenAI and film can look like in Australia when Humans work with tools
2. How does the festival align with TBWA’s values surrounding Disruption and the Media Arts?
This is creative disruption in action.
TBWA has always stood for shaking things up — and here, we’re doing it by building a cultural platform, not a campaign. DISRUPT is about collaboration, not automation. Co-piloting the tech, not using as autopilot.
3. Gen AI filmmaking requires a very different skill set to traditional filmmaking – are you expecting to discover a lot of undiscovered talent, or do you think it will more likely reveal established filmmakers who have levelled up their skills?
Both — and that’s what makes this exciting. We’ll see students, and emerging creators who’ve never had access to expensive gear step into the spotlight. And we’ll see established filmmakers experimenting, evolving, levelling up.
GenAI doesn’t replace skill — it reframes it. We call it human-in-the-loop creativity: where the magic comes from prompting, refining, and steering the machine with vision, intent, and meaning.
4. Are you setting duration limits? Short films? Feature length? Or are filmmakers welcome to submit at whatever duration meets their own needs?
Submissions officially open in July, and while we’ll share formal specs then, we’re focusing on short-form storytelling.
The goal is to create bold, emotionally resonant work that feels both fresh and accessible. It’s less about length, and more about impact — think clear creative briefs, smart use of tools, and big ideas in small formats.
The four categories include:
• Best Short Film – under 3 minutes
• Best Long Film – 3 to 15 minutes
• Best Student Film – under 3 minutes
• Grand Prix Winner – selected from the three category winners prize purse of AUD 15,000.
5. What sort of information will filmmakers need to provide in terms of platforms/technology used?
Transparency is part of the submission process. We’ll ask entrants to detail which tools they used, from image generation to sound, editing, and scripting, not to gate-keep, but to document.
This isn’t a tech showcase; it’s a culture play. But understanding the toolset will help us all learn where creative authorship lives, how collaboration evolves, and where bias, originality and opportunity intersect. Through panels and public discourse, we’ll explore the opportunities and consequences of GenAI.