The Reply AI Film Festival, in its third year, will present its awards at Venice Film Festival this September after selecting ten finalists from a pool of three thousand short films created using artificial intelligence tools. The selection process, based around the 2026 theme of "Imaginatio Nova", resulted in a diverse range of works exploring narratives from contemporary global conflicts to speculative futures.

The festival's adjudication panel includes Academy Award-winning director Gabriele Salvatores alongside acclaimed filmmakers Rob Minkoff and Catherine Hardwicke, supported by visual effects specialists, production professionals, and international development representatives. The ceremony will confer three distinctions: a main award for the strongest short film, a recognition for works addressing United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and a prize for outstanding innovation in artificial intelligence use throughout production. The event occurs concurrently with Venice Film Festival's historic debut of an officially selected feature film created through artificial intelligence.