Muscat AI Film Festival 2026: Worldwide AI Short Films, OMR 50 Fee, December 15

musicassociatio

19 hours ago

2 min read

Festival and eligible creators

The inaugural Muscat AI Film Festival (MAIFF), produced by EATCO in Oman, welcomes AI-generated, AI-assisted and live-action hybrid cinema from filmmakers internationally. Its creative theme is Connection, a prompt rather than a compulsory plot subject. The festival and awards are scheduled for January 19, 2027 in Muscat, with the Royal Opera House featured in the programme. The person submitting or leading a team must be at least 18; younger filmmakers may participate under an adult team lead, and teams can have up to ten credited members.

Technical rules and application

Eligible finished films are generally three to seven minutes long, completed since January 1, 2024. Supply an MP4 or MOV file at 1920x1080 or better with stereo audio and subtitles for dialogue outside English and Arabic. Artificial intelligence must meaningfully contribute to visuals, screenplay, sound, editing, animation or another aspect; provide a truthful tool-by-tool declaration, human creative contribution and an approximate generated-content ratio. The submission requests a 100–200-word synopsis and director statement, biography, still and portrait. Rights to music, actors and third-party material remain the applicant's responsibility.

Deadlines, fees, awards and rights

Submission deadline December 15, 2026; non-refundable fee OMR 50 per film, covering up to three award categories. The homepage advertises a grand prize of OMR 20,000, but no monetary award is guaranteed to an entrant. Copyright remains with the filmmaker, who grants a royalty-free non-exclusive festival screening licence and allows promotional extracts up to 90 seconds. Older announcements and the submissions page give differing opening dates; verify the currently available portal and final terms rather than relying on a past announcement.

Independently edited and translated news about an external competition. Check the latest official eligibility, format, fee per category, AI-use rules and screening licences before paying or submitting.

Official competition rules: https://maiff.ai/submissions

Official further details: https://maiff.ai/