Inside the Seattle AI Film Festival

Elevate the storyteller. Inspire the audience. Humanize the technology.

This past weekend, I had the joy and privilege of attending the first-ever Seattle AI Film Festival (SAIFF), where I was also an advisor, judge, and speaker. The festival is the brainchild of John du Pre Gauntt, founder of Culture & Code and took place at the M5 Creative Building.

Over two inspiring days, we witnessed a community coming together to explore what happens when storytelling and technology converge.

The mission of the festival was clear and unquestionably fulfilled:

Elevate the storyteller. Inspire the audience. Humanize the technology.

With more than 90 films submitted from over 20 countries, the breadth of creativity on display was inspiring. These weren’t just AI experiments, they were artistic expressions that made us laugh, cry, and imagine new realities.

I was honored to speak alongside a powerhouse lineup of speakers who are actively shaping the future of creativity:

Renard Jenkins, President & CEO of I2A2 Technologies, Labs and Studios, delivered a talk on the biases embedded in large language models and the importance of responsible AI adoption. He urged creatives to upskill now or risk being left behind.

Debra Aho Williamson, Founder and Chief Analyst at Sonata Insights, shared consumer research and industry insights on user perception of AI generated content as well as how tools like Copilot and ChatGPT are disrupting traditional advertising and commerce.

Alvin Wang Graylin, bestselling author of Our Next Reality and former Global VP at HTC, painted a vision of a future where AI removes the mundane and unlocks deeper human creativity.

And myself, I introduced The Imagination Age as a new paradigm where AI is rapidly democratizing creativity, yet our economic systems haven’t evolved to keep pace. My talk challenged the audience to reimagine how we compensate and credit creativity in an AI-powered world, calling for a new monetization infrastructure that ensures creators can thrive in the age ahead.

🎬 Festival Award Winners

Among the 18 finalists, six projects were honored for their originality, craft, and creative use of AI tools.

🏆 Best Narrative Short (5–30 min)

Berlina by Alesander Lune Sokolov (🇺🇦 Ukraine)

🏆 Best Narrative Short Short (1–5 min)

The Kitchen Tapes – Mr. Garlic’s Last Session by Carol Delgado (🇧🇷 Brazil)

🏆 Best Non-Fiction Short Short (1–5 min)

FOSSiLS by Roxanne Ducharme (🇨🇦 Canada)

🏆 Best Experimental Short

Artomaton Telezine by Gabriel Aronson (🇺🇸 USA)

🏆 Best Music Video

The Giant Disco Spaceship of Love by Gerry Clark (🏴 Scotland)

🏆 Best Trailer

Nalvora by Mehdi Saqi (🇲🇦 Morocco)

A true highlight of the weekend came from Budi Mulyo, Seattle Film Commissioner and Co-Founder of SIXR, who led a session showcasing AI-powered creative work by youth from the Boys & Girls Club, developed through an Immersive Storytelling Lab.

SIXR’s mission is to expand access to immersive storytelling (VR, AR, 360°, and mixed reality) for creators from culturally, educationally, and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds. The films these young artists created were a testament to what happens when bright minds are given the tools and freedom to express their worlds.

To close out the weekend, Michelle Pruitt, Senior Director of Strategy and Planning at Microsoft, announced the company’s GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ challenge to take place on April 7th. The event invites participants from around the world to complete an online multi-level AI course to raise awareness, drive AI literacy, and make learning both accessible and fun.

Beyond the awards, what stood out most was the energy—creative, collaborative, and deeply human. In a time when AI is often met with fear or skepticism, this festival offered something different: hope. It showed us that while the tools are changing, the soul of storytelling remains rooted in our shared imagination.

This is just the beginning.