Submissions are open until January 25, 2026.

Submissions: Oct 24 – Jan 25

Shortlist: Jan 30

People’s Choice Voting: Feb 2 – 16

Nominees: Feb 20

Winners: Feb 27

A global study of the marks left by human and machine creation.

The second season of UnHuman Shorts continues an experiment exploring how technology is reshaping the very language of cinema.

Building on our first edition – which gathered over 800 films from 13 countries – we now turn to a new, essential question: what remains after the encounter between human imagination and algorithmic vision?

Our mission is to redefine authorship in the age of algorithms. We view AI not as a rival, but as a creative partner that expands the emotional and visual canvas of cinema. This year’s theme, “The Trace,” invites filmmakers to explore what remains of this partnership – the imprints we leave on culture, memory, and human perception.

The contest unfolds across four distinct dimensions of co-creation:

Shared Trace – The fusion of image, sound, and story into a unified artistic statement.

Aftertone – The emotional architecture built through sound, music, and silence.

Visual Impact – The pursuit of a new visual language and uncompromising imagery.

Narrative Consequence – Storytelling that leaves a lasting emotional imprint.

We are proud to welcome our first confirmed jurors:

Afro Futcha (UK) – A creative futurist and TED AI & BBC speaker, working at the intersection of ethics and Afrofuturism.

Yann Avril (FR) – A writer, director, and creative producer of the UNESCO-backed CINEMA HERITAGE festival.

Further jurors and partners will be revealed in the coming weeks.

The prize fund will be announced later this season. In the previous edition it reached $10 000 USD, shared among category winners and the People’s Choice Award – which returns for public voting on shortlisted films.