PRESS RELEASE
PRESS RELEASE
2026 Sparknify Human vs. AI Film Festival
Official Selections Announced: 32 Films to Compete for the Sparknify Humanity Award, Premiering September 26 in San Francisco
SAN FRANCISCO — Sparknify today announced the official selections for the 2026 Human vs. AI Film Festival. From more than 3,000 submissions received worldwide, 32 short films have been selected across two categories — Human-Produced and AI-Generated — and grouped into eight core emotion categories: Joy, Sorrow, Intensity, Serenity, Love, Hate, Desire, and Disgust. The official selection spans more than twenty countries and territories, including Spain, China, Argentina, France, the United States, South Korea, Japan, Brazil, Israel, Russia, Georgia, Turkey, Thailand, Australia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Iran, Palestine, Switzerland, and Mozambique — underscoring the truly global scope of this year's festival.
Selected films will be evaluated in a blind screening by the Grand Jury of Academia, a panel of more than 200 film scholars and educators from around the world. Winners will be chosen from each of the eight emotion categories, with the top honor — the Sparknify Humanity Award, carrying a USD $3,000 cash prize — awarded to the single film judged to most powerfully capture the essence of humanity. The festival will also present the Best Picture Award, honoring the top Human-Produced film, and the Best AI-Generated Award, honoring the top AI-Generated film.
The official selections will premiere on September 26, 2026, at the Delancey Street Screening Room in San Francisco, across four public screening sessions at 11 AM, 1 PM, 3 PM, and 5 PM, alongside panel discussions and startup showcases, culminating in the awards ceremony.
Human-Produced Films — Official Selections
Film Title | Director / Contact | Country |
Verdulera (Greengrocer) | Jose Barbado | Spain |
Restrain Desires (抑欲) | Henry Chao (Zhao Qiang) | China |
Roses and Champagne (Rosas y Champagne) | Cristian Bidone | Argentina |
serveME (sers-MOI) | Gaston Hache Almada | France |
Compromises | Taylor Hammersla | United States |
After School Ring (종소리가 울리고) | Sea-Hoon Jeon | South Korea |
A Magical Moment (Un Moment Màgic) | Santiago Tamagnone | Spain |
An Unseen Energy Devours Me Endlessly | Ludmila Fontana | Argentina |
baytora | Mohamad Faraj Salehi | Iran / Palestine |
Sohail ki Pili Chaddi (सोहेल की पीली चड्डी) | Narendra Singh Pardhi | India |
Down The Hatch (До дна!) | Alexandra Lukina | Russia |
MONICA (მონიკა) | Lena Chagalidze | Georgia |
All Names Begin with M (Todos los nombres empiezan con M) | Ramiro Velasco | Argentina |
The Way You Sea Me (A Menina e o Mar) | Gabriel Mellin | Brazil |
Inmaculada | Guillermo Rojo Diez | Spain |
We Still Love Here | Sean Havey | United States |
AI-Generated Films — Official Selections
Film Title | Director / Contact | Country |
For Better or For Worse | Atakan Köse | Turkey |
The Thing I Called Mom | Yosita Kunmol | Thailand |
Miserere Tui | Yuri Oh | South Korea |
PRINCE's SWEET MARRIAGE | Nami Hirota | Japan |
RECALL | Pat Langton | Australia |
The Pod | Marcel Rutschmann | Switzerland / Mozambique |
Developed | Hyeyeon Choi (최혜연) | South Korea |
Capacity | Jonathan Lobel | Israel |
Mr. Rossi | Laurent Cliquet | Belgium |
Peking Opera Paradise | Jiayang Liang | China |
Let's Play Ball! (带你去玩球！) | Ning Hong | China |
BENCH | Mooshin Rhee | South Korea |
Emma | David S. Blanco | Netherlands |
Nothing | Tatiana Aryzhakova | Russia |
BFF (Best Friend Forever) | Hyeokjin Choi (비즈) | South Korea |
The Roof | Zafer Yorganci | Turkey |
About the Sparknify Human vs. AI Film Festival
The Sparknify Human vs. AI Film Festival is a global short film competition exploring the intersection of cinema and artificial intelligence, bringing traditional filmmakers and generative AI creators onto the same stage to ask a defining question: can machines meaningfully express human emotion? Rather than categorizing films by genre, the festival organizes its lineup around emotion, inviting audiences to reconsider what it means to be human in the age of intelligent machines.
About Sparknify
Sparknify is a Silicon Valley-based event production and PR firm connecting startups, investors, and global tech ecosystems. Through high-impact events, media strategy, and content, Sparknify helps brands and organizations build visibility and influence in a rapidly evolving technology landscape.
Media Contact
Sparknify Press Office | press@sparknify.com | +1-415-340-0968
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