Overall winner 'To Dear Me' by Gisele Tong, second place: 'One Way' by Egor Kharlamov, and third place: 'Jinx' by Mansha Totla.

Centered around the theme “Synthetic Stories, Human Hearts,” the finalist works were selected by an international jury and presented in Venice during the award ceremony organized by Reply and Mastercard.

The winners of the first edition of the Reply AI Film Festival have been announced, the competition for authors of original short films made with Artificial Intelligence (AI), conceived by Reply, a leading international group in the creation of new business models enabled by AI and Digital Media. The awards event, organized in collaboration with Mastercard, was held at the Priceless lounge of the Hotel Excelsior in Venice.

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Reply presents the inaugural Reply AI Film Festival, an international competition where Artificial Intelligence (AI) serves not only as a catalyst for innovation in the realm of creative storytelling but also as a tool for fostering inclusivity among younger generations in video and film production. (Photo: Business Wire)

The award for Best Short Film was given to 'To Dear Me' by Gisele Tong, which tells the story of a young woman, tormented by memories of her parents' divorce and her mother's loneliness, struggling with love, feeling lost and distrustful, until she realizes that finding her true self is the key to healing and moving forward.

Second place went to 'One Way' by Egor Kharlamov, a story about how life can offer a second chance even when it seems there's nothing left to lose. The film ponders on what the price of this second opportunity is.

Third place was awarded to 'Jinx' by Mansha Totla, that focuses on the memories of World War II through the voice of the main character, Jinx Akerkar, and emphasizes on the fragility of life. An intense dedication to those who lost their lives during the war and those who are still affected by that loss today.

The three winning short films were built around the theme "Synthetic Stories, Human Hearts" and were selected from the twelve finalists by an international jury, which was composed of Adam Kulick, Caleb & Shelby Ward, Denise Negri, Filippo Rizzante, Flavio Natalia, Julien Vallée & Eve Duhamel, Monica Riccioni, Paul Trillo, and Rob Minkoff.

To identify the finalists, the jurors reviewed over 1,000 short films submitted from more than 59 countries, including the USA, UK, Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Brazil, China, India, and Korea. AI artists, directors, writers, animators, VFX artists, but also amateurs were in the talent pool who were competing in the contest, preferring the Narratives and Experimental categories, chosen respectively by 38% and 36% of participants - followed by Documentary (14%) and Pilots (12%).

“To Dear Me, inspired by the animated short film Liebestraum by Yan Xiaoxuan, is a letter written by the creative team to girls and women everywhere. The story condenses the experiences of the many girls and women around them - their mothers, friends, and students. Many of these women carry the scars and flaws of their upbringing, lacking love, yearning for love, but unsure how to love. They often swing between love and hatred, desperately trying to hold onto anyone who loves them, investing all their emotions until they get hurt and become afraid to open their hearts again. They can even lose themselves in a web of false pretenses, doubting if they will ever find true love or even retain the ability to express it properly. With this short film, I want to tell these tender souls around me that even if we lose the love of the world, we must still love ourselves. I encourage them to take a good look at their own lives - the good and the bad - as these precious experiences have shaped each of us into the unique individuals we are. Rescue your past self and empower your present self. My dear girls, it has not been easy on this journey of growth, but remember to love yourselves well and give yourselves a warm embrace,” commented Gisele Tong, who was awarded first place in the competition.

“We are very happy to be part of the festival! This is a great honor and joy for us! Technology is moving forward and the fact that today there is such an opportunity to use artificial intelligence as a tool in the creation of movies and animation, is an incredible breakthrough. A story in a movie can now be told by anyone, that's great! It is important to remember that any technology is a tool in the hands of man, an incredibly powerful tool and let it serve for the benefit of mankind. Thank you to the festival for highlighting the first steps of new opportunities!” commented Egor Kharlamov, the second-place winner.

“The Reply AI Film Festival has been an incredible experience and I’m so happy that my film, ‘JINX’ was selected as a finalist. The festival team has been so attentive and the appreciation of my work has motivated me to further believe in myself. I was stuck for the past 3 years as I didn’t simply want to fill in the gaps of my film with random stock footage of the war. Thus, the most significant thing about my film was the use of AI to create WW2 footage that is authentic to my subject’s story. I believe that in the future, AI will transform the filmmaking industry and it’ll be interesting to see how we incorporate AI's capabilities with our human vision and artistic intuition,” commented Mansha Totla, the third-place winner.

“The winners of the Reply AI Film Festival demonstrate how Artificial Intelligence enables the creation of new narratives, innovative, and visually captivating content, while maintaining the essential human element—the vision, heart, and soul of a film,” said Filippo Rizzante, CTO of Reply. “The Reply AI Film Festival has become an important opportunity to highlight innovation and creativity, offering young talent the chance to immerse themselves in new technologies, acquire advanced skills, and create new, more accessible and sustainable creative scenarios.”

“We are pleased to have hosted in Venice the awards event of the Reply AI Film Festival, a competition that enhances the creativity of young film talents, offering them a unique opportunity for interaction and expression,” said Luca Fiumarella, Head of Marketing Italy at Mastercard. “We are committed to promoting initiatives where technology combines with great passions, creating new opportunities to bring people closer to the world of art and cinema. Our goal is to make artistic production more accessible and inclusive, using technological innovation to fuel creativity and support new generations in pursuing their aspirations.”

The Reply AI Film Festival was created by Reply as part of its program to promote new technologies among younger generations. The goal is to foster a culture of innovation and provide a new, stimulating space for experimentation, offering a space where AI can be put to the test as an ally of human creativity and demonstrate that the synergy between people and technologies can enable new scenarios that are more accessible to anyone who possesses the spark of creativity. The competition is part of the Reply Challenges, a program of technological and creative competitions that testify to Reply's commitment to developing innovative educational models capable of engaging new generations. Today Reply's Challenges have a community of more than 150,000 participants.

To see the winning short films and finalists, visit aiff.reply.com.

Reply

Reply [EXM, STAR: REY] specialises in the design and implementation of solutions based on new communication channels and digital media. Reply is a network of highly specialised companies supporting key European industrial groups operating in the telecom and media, industry and services, banking, insurance and public administration sectors in the definition and development of business models enabled for the new paradigms of big data, cloud computing, digital media and the Internet of Things. Reply services include: Consulting, System Integration and Digital Services. www.reply.com

Mastercard

Mastercard is an international payments technology company. Our goal is to create connections and promote an inclusive digital economy from which everyone can benefit, wherever they are, through secure, simple, fast and accessible transactions. By being able to rely on secure data and networks, partnerships and passion, and our products and solutions, we help consumers, financial institutions, governments and businesses reach their full potential. With a presence in more than 210 countries and territories, we are building a more sustainable world that offers priceless opportunities for all. www.mastercard.com

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