We Are Human Festival — Film & AI International Open Call 2026
The We Are Human Festival is a new Paris-based international film festival exploring the connections between artificial intelligence, audiovisual creation and human rights. Its inaugural 2026 edition is built around Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights ("All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights…") and invites filmmakers, artists and creators worldwide to submit short human/AI hybrid works (1–10 min). The festival is structured on a 30-year vision — one UDHR article per edition.
Deadline
30 September 2026
Verified 2 days ago
Cost
Free to apply
Format
Short films (1–10 minutes) — fiction, documentary, experimental, video poem, audiovisual essay; human/AI hybrid creation required.
Eligibility
Open internationally to filmmakers, visual artists, studios, independent creators and collectives — no nationality, residency or training restriction. Aged 18+. African filmmakers explicitly welcome (Johannesburg and Nairobi are confirmed tour stops). All formats welcome (fiction, documentary, experimental, video poem, audiovisual essay) provided the work questions contemporary transformations linked to AI. Works generated solely by AI without human creative direction are NOT eligible.
What You Get
- Grand Prix: €5,000
- Prize for Best Screenplay: €3,000
- Ethics Award: €2,000
- Selection (20 projects) tour: theatrical screenings at Forum des Images Paris (24 Nov 2026) followed by international screenings in New York, São Paulo, Johannesburg, Nairobi and Geneva (Dec 2026 – Mar 2027), with audience meet-and-greets and visibility with cultural stakeholders in each city.
What to Submit
Submit:
- An original audiovisual work (1 minute minimum / 10 minutes maximum) inspired by Article 1 of the UDHR, completed on or after 1 June 2025.
- A mandatory Ethics Notebook (four questions, ~10 minutes to complete) documenting your ethical approach to human/AI hybrid creation. Developed in partnership with the Elyx Foundation (official UN partner) and the Wits MIND Institute, Johannesburg. The notebook is part of the submitted work and will be presented alongside the film in public debates — but it is NOT a selection filter (no answer is eliminatory).
Insider Tips
- Lead with a simple, human-centred story — the festival explicitly says: no big budget, no philosophy thesis. A look, a gesture, an encounter, a contrast.
- Make AI serve the vision, not replace it. Use AI for image, sound, music or text generation as a creative amplifier, and ensure clear human creative direction throughout (AI-only works are ineligible).
- Treat the Ethics Notebook seriously — it is not scored as a filter but it travels with your film into public debates and panels, so it shapes how your work is read by jurors and audiences.
- Anchor the work directly in Article 1 of the UDHR (born free and equal in dignity and rights). Festival framing themes: Freedom against the machine, Brotherhood / the encounter, Dignity / the everyday.
Submission window: 1 June 2026 → 30 September 2026 (4 months). Official selection announced 20 October 2026. Festival & awards ceremony at Forum des Images, Paris on 24 November 2026.
Verify dates and eligibility on the official website before applying.
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