A new space for creators shaping the future of cinema
AI filmmaking is accelerating faster than any previous shift in cinematic history.
KURSAAL AI arrives at the exact moment when creators around the world are redefining what a film can be.
As Festival Director Alfredo Izquierdo says, “AI represents an advance as significant as the arrival of sound, color or digitization. Its impact will be a thousand times greater.”
This new festival is not simply an event.
It is a signal that a new cinematic era has begun.
ABOUT KURSAAL AI
KURSAAL AI is presented by the festival as an international initiative in Spain dedicated to AI generated filmmaking.
Created by the Kursaal Film Festival of San Sebastián, it aims to recognize filmmakers exploring new forms of authorship through AI.
Submission Window
Submissions are open from 1 November 2025 to 31 January 2026.
The festival accepts films between 1 and 30 minutes, in any genre including fiction, documentary, animation, advertising and experimental work.
Submission Requirements
Films must be hosted on Vimeo with embedding enabled.
The submission must be made by the filmmaker or legal rights holder.
Registration fee is 10 euros and is non refundable.
Festival Timeline
Finalist notification will be sent on 25 February 2026.
The festival will stream online in VOD format from 1 to 31 March 2026.
The awards ceremony will take place during the AI Weekend Fest on 28 and 29 March 2026.
Awards
The festival’s signature trophy is the FILMMAKER’S DRAGONHEART, which is awarded to each of the festival’s 14 winners. Alfredo explains: “This trophy symbolizes the courage and passion of filmmakers who explore new creative paths.”
WHY THIS FESTIVAL MATTERS
AI is transforming cinema at structural level.
Production time collapses.
Costs drop dramatically.
Creative barriers disappear.
A single filmmaker can now build stories that rival traditional studio scale.
Alfredo points out, “AI generated video marks a turning point for festivals. A new kind of entertainment festival will emerge where cinema and video games coexist in the same creative space.”
This shift does not erase traditional cinema just as cinema never erased theatre.
It expands the terrain.
It multiplies the voices.
It elevates creators who previously had no access to production.
KURSAAL AI is designed to respond to this moment.
Not by protecting the past, but by opening the future.
SHAIKE AND KURSAAL AI
SHAIKE and KURSAAL AI share the same conviction.
The next cinematic movement belongs to the creators who explore tools with intention, curiosity and artistic purpose.
Alfredo states, “There is a great deal of misunderstanding around AI in film. Fear comes from not knowing. But AI is simply the next step in a long tradition of technological evolution.”
Our partnership supports this vision.
Together we want to give filmmakers a global stage, encourage experimentation and help define the language of AI cinema.
This collaboration celebrates creators.
It creates visibility for new voices.
And it strengthens a growing international ecosystem where imagination shapes what comes next.
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