XIXI LOST & FOUND PRIVATE ART GALLERY
EN
Hollywood AI Short Film Awards 2027 · Guide

How to win the Hollywood AI Short Film Awards.22 minutes. One Super Bowl Saturday.

HASFA is a young awards night held in West Hollywood that offers $2,750 in cash prizes across its categories, with a final deadline set for 11 January 2027. The event operates on a selective screening model: only award winners screen live at the ceremony. Here are the rules that could be confirmed through available sources, the selection funnel that narrows 210 quarterfinalists down to 7 winners, and a strategic plan for filmmakers. Then make your genre film in 熙熙: from screenplay development through storyboard creation to finished footage.
Start writing for freeSee the scene
  • Final deadline 11 January 2027
  • 22 minutes maximum
  • Genre awards, sci-fi to horror
Voidborn · Episode 0

Independent guide. 熙熙 does not organise the Hollywood AI Short Film Awards and is not affiliated with HASFA or its organisers. Rules read on 1 October 2026. Official HASFA site

Available today in 熙熙: free screenwriting tools to develop your script, and a storyboard generated directly from your screenplay when you subscribe to the 年度会员, priced at ¥168 一年 for full production support.

Also available now: video generation of each shot, powered by Seedance, on the same 年度会员, with 3,000 张额度 一年.

What is confirmed

What HASFA 2027 asks for.

The festival's own site provides core information including the date, the venue, the prizes and the categories for submission. It has no rules page with comprehensive guidelines, so critical details including deadlines, fees, length requirements and eligibility criteria come from its FilmFreeway listing as shown in search results on the day of reading. Confirm them directly on FilmFreeway before you pay any submission fee to ensure accuracy.
Awards night
Saturday 13 February 2027
Venue
London West Hollywood Screening Room
Final deadline (FilmFreeway)
11 January 2027
Notification (FilmFreeway)
22 January 2027
Length (FilmFreeway)
22 minutes, credits included
Completed (FilmFreeway)
On or after 1 January 2024
Fees (FilmFreeway)
$25 early bird to $55 final
Cash awards
$2,750, with $750 for Best Picture

Source: hollywoodaishorts.com (for event details, venue information, prizes, categories, Year One submission figures, 2026 press release materials) and the festival's FilmFreeway listing as summarised by search results, read on 1 October 2026. FilmFreeway itself blocked direct reading of the full listing at the time of research.

Key dates

Three prices, one night.

Fees rise at every deadline as the submission period progresses. <b>The earliest date you can meet is the cheapest one</b>, and the film you submit is the same regardless of when you enter. The early bird entry tier, priced at $25, closed on 15 August and represented the lowest cost option.

  1. 31 Oct 2026

    Regular deadline

    $35 on FilmFreeway, or $30.50 for Gold Members.

  2. 15 Dec 2026

    Late deadline

    $45, or $40 for Gold Members.

  3. 11 Jan 2027

    Final deadline

    $55, or $49.50 for Gold Members. The last chance and the dearest.

  4. 22 Jan 2027

    Notification

    Projects are told where they stand. Distinctions run from Quarterfinalist to Best Picture Winner, each with official laurels.

  5. 13 Feb 2027

    Awards night

    Winners screen at the London West Hollywood Screening Room during Super Bowl Weekend, followed by a reception.

What the awards honour

Three things, no weights.

The official site says HASFA recognises excellence in storytelling, innovation and creative vision. No weights are published, and nothing says one counts more than another.

  • Storytelling

    One character, one want, one change in well under 22 minutes. The founder said the strongest films of Year One were the ones where the human voice stayed clear.

  • Innovation

    The listing asks for meaningful creative use of AI. Say what AI let you do that a small crew could not, and show it on screen.

  • Creative vision

    A look held from the first frame to the last: a genre, a palette, a way of framing. On a night split by genre, a film that commits to its genre reads as vision.

The listing asks for meaningful use of AI, not total use. AI can enter in development, production, post-production, animation, visual design or audio creation.

Who decides

Laurels, an audience prize and a founder.

No judges are named on the official site. What it publishes is how a film is recognised and who started the awards.

  • Levels of laurels

    Projects can be recognised as Quarterfinalist, Semifinalist, Finalist, Award Winner, Audience Choice Winner or Best Picture Winner, each with official laurels. Only award-winning films are invited to screen at the showcase.

  • An Audience Choice Award

    It sits next to the genre awards in the special recognitions. The official site does not say how it is decided, so make a film that works for people who do not know you.

  • A founder who is a filmmaker

    The press release names Brandon Miree, a traditional filmmaker and director of Moviefield AI, as founder. He said the aim is to expand what is possible, not to replace filmmakers.

The categories

Eight genres and four special awards.

The official site lists eight genre awards of $250 each, plus Emerging Creator ($250), an Audience Choice Award, Best Branded Commercial and the $750 Best Picture. Six suit a 熙熙 film. Each card closes with our take.

  • 01

    Best Sci-Fi

    A genre award, $250.

    Worlds a camera cannot visit are what AI does well. Keep the rules of your world simple and the faces consistent.

  • 02

    Best Thriller

    A genre award, $250.

    Tension comes from framing and sound, which you control in the storyboard. Few characters and few locations keep every shot matching.

  • 03

    Best Horror

    A genre award, $250.

    Horror runs on what you do not show. A slightly wrong image can serve it, but keep it intentional: the audience should feel dread, not a glitch.

  • 04

    Best Animation

    A genre award, $250. Year One’s winner, Mom’s Wish, was praised for a painterly visual style.

    A strong style hides the seams. Pick one style and keep it in every shot.

  • 05

    Best Music Video

    A genre award, $250, with a category of the same kind in Year One.

    Rights come first. Use a track you own or have licensed, and keep the licence with your files.

  • 06

    Emerging Creator

    A special honour, $250.

    The site gives no definition of emerging. Ask before you enter if you have already made films.

Year One

What Year One teaches.

The first edition drew entries from 42 countries and narrowed them at each level: 210 quarterfinalists, 45 semifinalists, 15 finalists and 7 award winners. It ended with a live screening.

  1. 01

    The funnel is steep. Seven winners from 210 quarterfinalists is one in thirty. A quarterfinalist laurel is a start, not a result.

  2. 02

    The top film was story-led. Best Film went to When the Emergency Alert Came by Taejin Ahn, described as gripping and emotionally resonant.

  3. 03

    Style counted in animation. Mom’s Wish, by Jing Wen and Xiaodan Huang, won Animation, praised for a heartfelt narrative and a painterly look.

  4. 04

    Branded work is welcome. A project by Fei Yi Li and Zheng Bao won in Branded/Commercial, and the 2027 list still has a Best Branded Commercial award.

A genre scene

Voidborn: a night fight in six shots.

HASFA gives one award per genre, so a film that commits to a genre earns attention. This scene is from Voidborn, episode 0, an anime action film made by the 熙熙 team: the screenplay page, each shot as a storyboard frame, then as the final image.

Logline. Every seven years, the Rift opens and swallows the world’s dreams. A swordsman sworn to a blind seer escorts her through its levels, toward a promise they made to a girl left behind.

Screenplay · episode 0 · English subtitles

EXT. RUINS OF THE FIRST LEVEL - NIGHT

Broken towers under a violet sky. SIM, a swordsman in a black cloak, walks beside LADY MARIA, blindfolded, all in white.

SIM

Tell me, Maria... do you think Leia believes we are still alive?

MARIA

We made a promise... the two of us.

A line of white automatons rises from the ruins.

AUTOMATON

The Rift will wait for no one.

SIM

What are machines doing at this level?

One automaton steps forward. Its face is blank.

AUTOMATON

We must return to the surface.

Its eyes ignite red.

SIM

I am Sim, guardian of Lady Maria... and I will proceed with your execution.

Steel meets steel. Lightning runs down the blade.

CUT TO:

  1. A swordsman in a black cloak and a blindfolded woman in white walk through ruins at night
    Storyboard frame of the wide shot, in grey
    01

    Wide · the pair

    Wide shot, a bald swordsman in a black cloak and a blindfolded red-haired woman in white walk through night ruins

  2. Medium two-shot of a bald swordsman and a blindfolded red-haired woman
    Storyboard frame of the two-shot, in grey
    02

    Two-shot · the promise

    Medium two-shot, the swordsman and the blindfolded seer side by side, violet night sky, broken towers

  3. Three white humanoid automatons stand in night ruins
    Storyboard frame of the automatons shot, in grey
    03

    Wide · the machines

    Wide low angle, three white humanoid automatons standing in the ruins, cold blue moonlight

  4. Close-up of a white automaton with a smooth blank face
    Storyboard frame of the blank face close-up, in grey
    04

    Close-up · the blank face

    Close-up on an automaton's smooth faceless head, black eye slots, cables at the neck, ruins behind

  5. A white automaton's eyes glow red
    Storyboard frame of the red eyes close-up, in grey
    05

    Close-up · the red eyes

    Same framing, the automaton's eyes ignite red, the swordsman's shoulder out of focus in the foreground

  6. A swordsman strikes with a katana wreathed in lightning and sparks
    Storyboard frame of the clash shot, in grey
    06

    Action · the clash

    Dynamic low angle, the swordsman strikes with his katana, lightning running along the blade, sparks, cape flying

Voidborn, episode 0, runs 13 minutes, comfortably within HASFA's 22 minute ceiling. This debut piece earned two placements at the Mondial Chroma Awards and secured recognition at the Seoul International AI Film Festival. The opening scene delivers the genre blueprint: one governing rule, one existential threat, one central clash. Players enter the narrative through this foundational scene.

The script

An 8 minute genre short in five movements.

While the ceiling stands at 22 minutes, effective genre cinema typically lands well below that threshold. An 8 minute runtime translates directly to 8 screenplay pages and typically requires 80 to 110 individual shots, each holding 4 to 6 seconds of screen time.

  1. 0:00 to 0:30

    The genre promise

    Show the genre in the first shot: a threat, a world, a tone.

  2. 0:30 to 1:45

    The rule

    The one rule of your world, and the character who will break it.

  3. 1:45 to 5:00

    The pressure

    Each scene tightens the genre: more danger, less room.

  4. 5:00 to 7:15

    The set piece

    The sequence the genre promised. Give it the most shots and the best sound.

  5. 7:15 to 8:00

    The aftershock

    A short coda, then the credits.

Remember that the 22 minute cap encompasses credits as well. Maintain a festival cut featuring abbreviated credits, then place the complete cast and crew list within the video description field.

Week by week

Ten weeks to the late deadline.

Target 15 December as your delivery milestone. Wrapping production by 31 October would yield a $10 savings, though the ten week timeline offers greater margin for quality control. The approach: one genre, one film, one weekly milestone.
  1. 01

    Week 1 · by 7 October

    Pick a genre award

    Choose one award from the list and write ten loglines for that genre. Keep the one you can say in a breath.

  2. 02

    Weeks 2 and 3 · by 21 October

    Write eight pages

    Write the screenplay free in 熙熙, in industry format. Read it aloud and cut anything the genre does not need.

  3. 03

    Weeks 4 and 5 · by 4 November

    Design and storyboard

    Define each character and set once. Generate the storyboard from the screenplay, then adjust framing, angle and movement shot by shot.

  4. 04

    Weeks 6 to 8 · by 25 November

    Generate the footage

    Seedance footage, scene by scene, guided by the storyboard and the references. Keep a log of which AI step made what, since the awards ask for meaningful use.

  5. 05

    Weeks 9 and 10 · by 9 December

    Edit and sound

    Cut to well under 22 minutes with credits, mix the sound and add subtitles if the film is not in English.

  6. 06

    By 15 December

    Submit with a short AI note

    Say where AI was used: development, production, post-production, animation or audio. Then pay once, on the date that suits you.

Ways to lose a place

Seven traps in a short rulebook.

These awards remain in their early years and their submission guidelines stay deliberately concise. The majority of disqualification pitfalls stem from assumptions about what the rules do not explicitly address.

  • AI as an afterthought

    The listing asks for meaningful creative use of AI in some part of the process. A film where AI plays no real part misses the point of the awards.

  • A film older than 2024

    Films must have been completed on or after 1 January 2024, says the listing.

  • Running past 22 minutes

    The limit includes credits. A long end roll can push a 21 minute film over.

  • Paying the final fee by habit

    $25, $35, $45, then $55. The film does not change between dates, only the price.

  • Expecting a screening

    Only award-winning films are invited to the Winners Showcase. Quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists receive laurels, not a screen.

  • Counting on the prize money

    $2,750 in total: $250 for a genre award, $750 for Best Picture. The official site does not say that travel or accommodation is covered, so do not plan a trip around the prize.

  • Trusting an unconfirmed summary

    The festival’s own site has no rules page and FilmFreeway could not be read here. Read the rules on FilmFreeway before you pay: they may differ from this page.

Why 熙熙

A genre award rewards a clear genre. Start with the page.

熙熙 constructs a complete film across any of HASFA's recognized genres by unifying three production layers within a single connected project: the written screenplay that defines narrative structure, the visual storyboard that maps scene composition and camera movement, and the rendered footage that brings the story to screen.

  • One pipeline, every genre

    Films, short dramas, commercials, music videos, 3D animation and anime all come from the same project. The format you pick is a choice of story, not of tool.

  • Short by design

    A 22 minute cap suits a scene-by-scene build. Characters, locations and references carry from shot to shot, so the last shot matches the first.

  • Your AI note, already written

    The listing asks for meaningful creative use of AI. In the project, each shot traces back to its scene, its storyboard frame and its prompt, so you can say exactly where AI worked.

  • Start free today

    Screenwriting is free and permanent in 熙熙. The 年度会员 adds the storyboard and the footage for ¥168 一年.

Real productions

International festival-recognized films have been written and produced with 熙熙.

熙熙 serves as an active creative workspace for filmmakers producing real AI film projects right now, supporting production pipelines that range from cinematic short films to serialized animated series pilots—work that has earned selections, nominations, and awards from international festival juries evaluating artistic merit and technical execution.

  • Video thumbnail for VOIDBORN

    VOIDBORN

    AI animated / cinematic short

    Festival recognition

    • 1st Place Silver

      Mondial Chroma Awards

    • 2nd Place 熙熙

      Mondial Chroma Awards

    • Award Winner

      Seoul International AI Film Festival

  • Video thumbnail for Les Fils du Vinnana

    Les Fils du Vinnana

    AI short film

    Festival recognition

    • Honorable Mention

      Top Quark Film Festival

    • People's Choice Nominee

      Illuminate Oneness of Humanity

    • Nominee

      ALTFF Supershort

  • Video thumbnail for Lost Garden

    Lost Garden

    AI animated series pilot

    Festival recognition

    • Finalist

      AI London Festival

See what creators are building

The pipeline

Write. Board. Produce.

  1. 熙熙 screenplay editor: acts, sequences and beats above the formatted script of The Yellow Umbrella

    01The screenplay, enriched

    An industry-standard screenplay editor, and more: a visual outline and beat editor, your writing inspirations (notes, photos, audio) kept next to the page, and an AI researcher to support your writing, not replace it.

  2. 熙熙 storyboard: shot S3 of The Yellow Umbrella with characters, shot settings and the script beside it

    02The storyboard, made easy

    Shot breakdown generated from your screenplay, manual control over every shot (frame, angle, movement, duration), and generative AI previsualization in one click.

  3. 熙熙 production canvas: shots S3 and S4 as connected nodes carrying their storyboard panels and prompts

    03AI production, with finesse

    Footage generation pipelines connected to your screenplay and storyboard. Optimized out of the box, fully editable workflow.

More festival guides

Other AI film awards

Read next

Guides by genre

FAQ

Hollywood AI Short Film Awards, your questions

How do you win the Hollywood AI Short Film Awards? The official site explains that HA
SFA recognises storytelling quality, technical innovation and creative vision as its core judging criteria. Submitted films advance through a progression of recognition levels, moving from Quarterfinalist status through Semifinalist and Finalist stages to Award Winner designation, with winning films screening at the Winners Showcase on 13 February 2027. Filmmakers should pick one genre award category and develop a film that commits
fully to the creative and stylistic expectations
of that chosen category. What are the HASFA deadlines? According to the festival's FilmFreeway listing page: early bird deadline 15 August 2026, regular deadline 31 October 2026, late deadline 15 December 2026 and final deadline 11 January 2027, with notification date on 22 January 2027 when filmmakers learn their selection status. The official site gives no deadlines posted pu
blicly. What does it cost to submit? On FilmFre
eway, submission fees are structured as $25 at the early bird tier, $35 regular tier, $45 late tier and $55 final tier, with Gold Member discounts available to FilmFreeway subscribers. Filmmakers should confirm the fee amount on the listing before you pa
y to avoid surprises. What is the length l
imit? Films must run up to 22 minutes maximum runtime, credits included in that duration, and the work must be completed on or after 1 January 2024, according to the FilmFreeway listing requireme
nts. Does the film have to be fully AI-generated? No, full AI generation is
not mandatory. The listing asks for meaningful creative use of AI technology in some aspect of the work's creation: this can include development stages, production workflows, post-production processes, animation techniques, visual design choices or audio elements. It names no required tool or platform, leaving te
chnical decisions to the filmmaker
. What are the prizes? HASFA distributes $2,750 in cash awards across categories: $750 for Best Picture, $250 for each genre award winner and $250 for Emerging Creator recognition. Winners also get official laurels to display and a screening slot at the Winners Showcase event. Do all selected films
screen in Hollywood? No, not all recognized films receive a theatrical
screening. Only award-winning films are invited to the Winners Showcase on 13 February 2027 for in-person presentation. Quarterfinalists, semifinalists and finalists receive laurels confirming their achievement level but do not screen at the showcase.

Ten weeks to the late deadline.

Pick a genre that speaks to your vision and write the first page of your screenplay today, free to start. The storyboard phase comes next in the workflow.
Start writing for freeBack to the demo