Bucharest AI Film Festival (1)

Festival start: 29 May 2026      Festival end: 30 May 2026

Artificial intelligence is changing how films are made. BAIFF (Bucharest AI Film Festival) is Romania's first festival dedicated to this shift. We bring together AI filmmakers and professionals from the film and advertising industries to screen international work, exchange perspectives, and take stock of where the craft is heading. Beyond the competition, BAIFF is a conversation between two worlds. If you're making films with AI, this is where your work belongs.

1. General Provisions

The Bucharest AI Film Festival (BAIFF) is an international competitive film festival dedicated to the intersection of artificial intelligence and filmmaking, organized by STESA (Society for Emerging Technologies, Sports and Arts), a Romanian NGO, and taking place in Bucharest, Romania on 29-30 May 2026.

2. Eligibility

Films may be submitted by any director, artist, or creative professional aged 16 or older working with AI tools in their filmmaking process. Submitters under 18 must provide written consent from a parent or legal guardian at the time of submission.

To be eligible for competition, films must:

- Incorporate AI generative technology as a primary creative tool in the production of their visuals or narrative. Films that use AI exclusively for post-production tasks (upscaling, relighting, color grading, editing, or soundtrack/music generation) are not eligible.
- Have been completed on or after March 1st 2024.
- Have a minimum duration of 2 minutes.
- Have a minimum resolution of 1080p (1920x1080).
- Include English subtitles if dialogue or narration is in a language other than English.

Applicants must provide a brief summary (max 200 words) detailing the specific AI tools used (e.g., Sora, Runway, Kling, Midjourney) and their role in the creative workflow. BAIFF reserves the right to request additional documentation about the AI pipeline used in any submitted film. Misrepresentation of the AI tools or processes used in a submission may result in disqualification at any stage, including after selection.

Submissions must not contain unauthorized likenesses of real individuals (living or deceased) or infringe on protected intellectual property. BAIFF reserves the right to disqualify any film that appears to violate ethical standards regarding deepfakes or non-consensual likenesses. The festival strictly prohibits the use of AI to generate sexually explicit content or hate speech.

Multiple submissions from the same applicant are permitted. Each film requires a separate submission.

3. Submission Fees

BAIFF charges a nominal submission fee of 5 EUR per film. Submission fees are non-refundable regardless of selection outcome.

4. Selection Process

All submitted films will be evaluated by a selection committee appointed by BAIFF, consisting of AI art specialists, filmmakers, and industry professionals.

Selected films will be screened during the festival and evaluated by a jury of industry professionals.

The main evaluation criteria are:

- Innovative use of AI in the creative process
- Artistic merit and originality
- Technical execution
- Narrative and conceptual strength
- Contribution to the dialogue between AI and traditional filmmaking

Image quality may be considered as a factor in evaluation, though it is understood that the current state of generative video technology imposes inherent limitations.

Preference may be given to World Premieres.

The jury's decisions are final and cannot be contested.

5. Awards & Prizes

BAIFF presents two types of awards: competition awards, decided by the jury from among the selected films; and honorary recognitions, awarded editorially by the festival to highlight outstanding achievements in specific areas of AI filmmaking. Honorary recognitions are non-competitive and may be awarded to any eligible submission, including films not selected for the competition program. Prize details will be published on baiff.ro and updated as they are confirmed. The festival reserves the right to add, modify, or withhold award categories and prizes. The allocation and form of prizes (monetary, in-kind, or honorary) is at the sole discretion of BAIFF.

6. Content Advisory

Submitted films may contain mature or sensitive content, including but not limited to depictions of violence, psychological distress, or other themes that may not be suitable for all audiences.

BAIFF reserves the right to assign content advisories or age recommendations to any selected film and to communicate these advisories to audiences prior to or during screenings. Applicants may be asked to provide content notes at the time of selection.

Content that violates the ethical prohibitions set out in Section 2 (deepfakes, non-consensual likenesses, sexually explicit content, hate speech) remains ineligible regardless of artistic intent.

7. Materials & Delivery

Selected filmmakers will be notified via email.

Screening files must be delivered via Dropbox, WeTransfer, or Google Drive before the festival. The festival is not responsible for broken links or corrupted files. It is the applicant's responsibility to ensure the provided download link remains active until the festival concludes.

Selected films must be provided as:

- Screening file in any standard digital video format (e.g., MP4, AVI, MOV, ProRes), at the highest available resolution and quality. Minimum resolution is 1080p (1920x1080). Any aspect ratio is accepted.
- Promotional materials (stills, director's bio, and press kit if available)
- Technical information and process documentation
- Subtitle file in .SRT format (if applicable)

Entries received after the submission deadline will not be considered.

BAIFF accepts submissions through multiple platforms and may also invite selected works directly. Invited films are subject to the same eligibility criteria and terms.

8. Rights & Warranties

By submitting a film, applicants acknowledge and agree to these terms and conditions.

The applicant represents and warrants that they possess all necessary rights for both picture and sound, and that the exhibition of their film will not violate or infringe upon any third-party rights, including rights related to music, images, likenesses, and other content. The filmmaker warrants that the work is an original creation and that they hold the legal right to authorize the screening of all components of the film.

For selected films, BAIFF reserves the right to:

a) Use information, images, trailers, and excerpts (not exceeding 20% and up to 40 seconds of the film's duration) for promotional purposes, including but not limited to use on the festival's website, social media channels, streaming platforms, newsletters, and press materials.

b) Screen the film during the festival and in related events (up to 5 additional screenings within one year of the festival).

c) Include the film in the festival's archive for documentation and research purposes.

Selected films cannot be withdrawn from the festival program after acceptance. In the event that a film is nonetheless withdrawn, BAIFF retains the right to use any promotional materials already produced in connection with that film.

9. Indemnification

By submitting a film, the applicant agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless BAIFF, STESA, their partners, sponsors, staff, jury members, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with:

a) any breach of the representations and warranties made in these terms;

b) any claim that the submitted film infringes upon the intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other rights of any third party;

c) any claim arising from the content of the submitted film, including but not limited to claims related to unauthorized likenesses, defamation, or obscenity.

This indemnification obligation survives the conclusion of the festival and the expiration of these terms.

10. Personal Data & Privacy

By submitting a film, the applicant consents to their personal data being processed by BAIFF and STESA for festival-related purposes in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2016/679 (General Data Protection Regulation).

The applicant is responsible for obtaining consent from all relevant parties whose personal information is included in the submission.

BAIFF may process personal data for the following purposes:

- Evaluating and qualifying submitted films
- Screening selected films and organizing related events
- Identifying and notifying award winners
- Communicating information about future editions of the festival

Personal data will be retained for a period of three (3) years following the conclusion of the festival edition to which the submission relates, after which it will be deleted unless a longer retention period is required by law or necessary for the exercise or defense of legal claims.

Providing personal data is voluntary. The applicant is entitled to access, rectify, erase, restrict the processing of, and port their personal data, as well as to object to its processing and to withdraw consent at any time, by contacting contact@baiff.ro. The applicant also has the right to lodge a complaint with the Romanian National Supervisory Authority for Personal Data Processing (ANSPDCP).

11. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

These terms and conditions are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Romania. Any disputes arising from or in connection with these terms, or from participation in the festival, shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of Bucharest, Romania.

For questions or clarifications: contact@baiff.ro