AIFA Awards 2025
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2025
AIFA Awards show how AI can shape a more equitable and creative global film industry
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2025
AIFA Awards show how AI can shape a more equitable and creative global film industry
From China to Canada, Senegal to Scotland, the AIFA Awards 2025 celebrated a new generation redefining film. Launched with a VIP screening and party at art'otel London Hoxton, followed by a high-level discussion at the House of Lords, the Awards brought global attention to creators using emerging technologies to build a more equitable, more creative film industry.
"At a time when AI poses a very real threat to creativity and livelihoods in film and entertainment, AIFA champions those who use the same technologies to fight back," said Leo Crane, co-founder of AIFA Ventures. "It's vital to ensure that innovation leads to inclusion and that the future of creative tech is equitable, especially for the artist."
This year's Awards were drawn from over 30 AIFA-qualifying festivals. The winners were selected by a jury of film pioneers including SXSW winner Pinny Grylls, fashion film legend Diane Pernet, and AIFA 2024 winners Ethereal Moon. This year's prestigious Best Film Award included a £1,000 cash prize and a benefits package from Sedition to support financing, distribution, and community building.
AIFA Awards 2025
BEST FILM
sponsored by Sedition
e^(iπ) + 1 = 0* by Junie Lau
INNOVATION AWARD
sponsored by Aria
The Future Can Be Yours by Simon Ball
BEST NARRATIVE
sponsored by Vultr
Do Bangladroids Dream of Electric Tagore? by Aleem Hossain
BEST VISUALS
Remembering by Diego Maclean
BEST SOUND
Aqua Alta by Fouzi Louahem
HIGHLY COMMENDED
Thiaroye 44 by Hussein Dembel Sow
FOSSiLS by Roxanne Ducharme
Duck by Rachel Maclean
The 14 outstanding Finalists demonstrate how AI can unlock new artistic possibilities, from deepfakes and surrealist aesthetics to reflections on memory, displacement, and identity. They also show how affordable AI tools open up opportunities for those otherwise excluded from the global film industry.
"The core issue is the incredibly high barrier to entry in traditional filmmaking," said Senegalese filmmaker and finalist Hussein Dembel Sow. "With synthetic production, I can democratise access to high-end visual storytelling and position authentic African narratives on the global stage."
THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS & PARTNERS
WIRED, Aria Protocol, Vultr, Sedition, NOPRBLM, Asprey Studio, art'otel, Innovate UK, NFC Summit, Muse Frame, Factory 4, My SMASH Media
All media enquiries
Clare Maguire: [email protected]
Leo Crane: [email protected]
Notes to Editors
Images
About AIFA Ventures
AIFA celebrates a positive future for entertainment with the world's premier awards for AI-powered creativity. Based in the UK, we are developing a creative tech innovation hub, partnering with cultural institutions to build educational tools and tech-confident communities. This is our mission: to open up access to creativity and draw out incredible storytelling from all parts of the world.
About Our Sponsors and Partners
Aria Protocol
Founded in 2025, Aria is an investment platform that transforms iconic cultural intellectual property assets into digital financial assets. With Aria, investors can buy and sell rights tied to real-world income from music performed by major artists like Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, and BLACKPINK. Aria ensures transparent, verifiable IP ownership and revenue sharing via the Story blockchain. Aria is also developing programmable IP tools allowing for cultural assets such as music, art, and film to be licensed, remixed, and monetized through digital contracts directly from rights holders. Aria is creating IP financial markets.
Learn more at: ariaprotocol.xyz.
About Vultr
Vultr is on a mission to make high-performance cloud infrastructure easy to use, affordable, and locally accessible for enterprises and AI innovators around the world. Vultr is trusted by hundreds of thousands of active customers across 185 countries for its flexible, scalable, global Cloud Compute, Cloud GPU, Bare Metal, and Cloud Storage solutions.
Learn more at: www.vultr.com.
About art'otel
A contemporary hotel and arts venue in the heart of London's vibrant Shoreditch district. This stunning venue combines modern design with artistic flair, providing the perfect backdrop for our celebration of innovation in AI-generated filmmaking and digital art.
Learn more: artotellondonhoxton.com
About Sedition
Sedition is a pioneer in digital art collecting, founded in 2011. The platform offers a curated selection of artworks in digital formats, specifically designed for viewing on screens and connected devices. Sedition aims to make art collecting more accessible and affordable, allowing users to own limited digital editions with certificates of authenticity.
Learn more: seditionart.com
© 2025 AIFA Ventures. All rights reserved