1 Billion Followers Summit reveals AI-generated film award shortlist

The 1 Billion Followers Summit, the world’s largest summit dedicated to the content creation economy and organised by the UAE Government Media Office, has announced the list of the Top 12 shortlisted films competing in the world’s largest AI-Generated Film Award.

A specialised jury comprising global experts, advisors, and creative content creators selected the 12 films from a total of 3,500 submissions, a total of 400 hours worth, received. The shortlisted films will be open for public voting, here, from December 21-25.

Following the public vote, the judging panel will select the Top 5 films to be screened on January 10, 2026 during the fourth edition of the 1 Billion Followers Summit, hosted by the UAE from January 9-11 2026 across Emirates Towers, the Dubai International Financial Centre, and the Museum of the Future, under the theme Content for Good.

The final winner of the world’s most valuable AI-Generated Film Award, valued at $1 million and organised by the summit in collaboration with Google Gemini, will be announced on January 11.

The summit also announced that more than 30,000 people from 116 countries expressed interest. The award aims to support and encourage the production of films with meaningful content using a wide range of artificial intelligence tools, while enhancing the creative capabilities of content creators in delivering positive, purpose-driven messages that promote understanding and connection between cultures.