Raindance 2027 · AI films guide

Can you submit an AI film to Raindance?No rule says no. Here is the fine print.

The Raindance submission pages carry no AI clause, and the 2026 programme put AI on stage. The 35th festival is in June 2027, the early deadline is 7 December 2026, and an animated short is the natural door.
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  • No AI clause published
  • Early deadline 7 December 2026
  • Festival 16 to 25 June 2027
Lost Garden · Episode 2

Independent guide. ScreenWeaver does not organise Raindance Film Festival and is not affiliated with Raindance. Rules read on 1 October 2026. Official submissions page

Available today in ScreenWeaver: free screenwriting, and a storyboard generated from your screenplay with Storyboard Beta, $9.99 a month.

Rolling out: video generation of each shot, powered by Seedance, with the Filmmaker plan.

The rules on one card

What Raindance asks of a short.

Raindance calls itself the largest independent film festival in the UK and specialises in first-time directors and discovery. Its rules say nothing about AI. They are about length, completion date and delivery.
Festival
16 to 25 June 2027, central London (35th edition)
Deadlines
7 December 2026, 18 January and 8 March 2027
Short film fee
£38 early, £49 regular, £66 late
Short film length
Under 45 minutes. Features start at 45
AI rule
None on the submission pages
Completed
After 1 January 2025
Premiere status
None for shorts. Features need a UK premiere
Notification
16 May 2027

Source: the Submissions page, the festival FAQ, the 2026 programme announcement and the Script Competition page on raindance.org, read on 1 October 2026. The FilmFreeway entry page could not be read, so its terms are unchecked.

What Raindance says about AI

Silence in the rules, a stance in the articles.

There is no clause to quote. What exists is a rule-free submission page, an editorial line and a 2026 programme that treats AI as a subject and a tool.

  • The submission pages

    The Submissions page, the FAQ and the Script Competition rules were read on 1 October 2026 and contain no word on AI. The selection criteria are two lines: quality of narrative and production values, and the independent nature of the production.

  • No disclosure form

    Nothing asks you to declare AI use. That does not make disclosure pointless: say plainly in your synopsis what was generated, because programmers and audiences ask. Write to festival@raindance.co.uk if you need a ruling.

  • The founder's articles

    Elliot Grove's editorial on the ethics of AI in filmmaking, dated 6 October 2024, is a discussion of scripts, editing and synthetic actors, with consent and authorship as the main worries. A later article calls AI a major opportunity for independents, on the condition that it does not cost authentic storytelling or ethical practice.

  • The 2026 programme

    The official programme announcement of May 2026 lists an AI-assisted shorts screening with CapCut and an AI Filmmaking Masterclass hosted by Moonmax, both in the Industry strand. It also lists the documentary Ghost in the Machine, a UK premiere about the origins of artificial intelligence.

  • What is not verified

    A competitive AI strand. The submission categories on raindance.org are narrative, documentary and animation shorts, features and immersive projects. No AI-generated category appears, so an AI film enters through the ordinary door.

  • The manifesto

    The June 2026 festival manifesto mentions AI once, among cameras that shrink and software that accelerates, and says creativity still comes from imagination meeting limitation. Raindance values constraint and risk, which an unedited generation does not show.

Key dates

Three deadlines, one notification, ten days of June.

Both the 34th and the 35th festivals fall in June. Fees go up with each deadline, and <b>the early one is the cheapest by far</b>.

  1. 7 Dec 2026

    Early deadline

    £38 for a short, £59 for a feature. Raindance Create members get one free submission a year.

  2. 18 Jan 2027

    Regular deadline

    £49 for a short, £75 for a feature. Submissions are paid by credit card on FilmFreeway and the fee is non-refundable.

  3. 8 Mar 2027

    Late deadline

    £66 for a short, £93 for a feature. This is the last window before the 16 May notification.

  4. 16 May 2027

    Notification

    Raindance writes to every submitter on this date. Selected films get a filmmaker pack covering DCP delivery, press and accreditation.

  5. 16 to 25 Jun 2027

    The 35th festival

    Ten days in central London. The 2026 edition screened 85 features and 112 shorts, with 27 immersive projects.

How films are selected

Two criteria, both about independence.

Raindance publishes two selection lines and no weights. They shape what a programmer expects to see, and an AI film has to meet both.

  • Quality of narrative and production values

    Narrative first, craft second, and the sentence says both. A short with a clear spine and a finished sound mix beats a showcase of shots. Production values means a film that looks deliberate, not a film that looks expensive.

  • Independent nature of the production

    Raindance exists for films made outside studios. A film made by a very small team with an unusual tool fits that story. A promotional piece for a product does not, so keep brand material out of the cut.

These two lines are the whole of the published criteria. Features must be at least UK premieres, and Raindance will preview only the first cut you submit.

Who decides

Programmers first, then a jury of practitioners.

The festival publishes a large jury list after each edition. Nothing in it says how AI is weighed, so read the people, not a policy.

  • The programming team

    It selects the lineup. In 2026, 48 of the 85 features were by first-time filmmakers, which is 56 per cent. Discovery is the job, so a new voice has a better chance here than at a festival that favours known names.

  • A jury of working filmmakers

    The 2026 jury page lists directors, actors, producers and critics, among them Oscar winner Chris Overton, actress Charlotte Hope and horror director Adrián García Bogliano. Their credits are across genres and formats.

  • Industry in the audience

    The FAQ says the festival shows work to film executives and buyers, journalists, film fans and other filmmakers. A short that plays well here can be seen by people who commission.

  • Awards after selection

    Prizes include Best Animated Short, Best Live Action Short, Best Documentary Short and Best UK Short. A short that wins the festival's qualifying awards can be considered for the Academy Awards without a theatrical run.

Categories

Five doors, and the one an AI film takes.

Raindance has no themes. It has categories, and the festival places a film in one of them. For each, a note on what changes when AI made the film.

  • 01

    Animation Short

    Animated shorts under 45 minutes. The 2026 edition named 11 nominees and gave the award to God is Shy.

    The natural door for a generated animation. It is also the Oscar-qualifying one, together with Documentary Short and Short of the Festival.

  • 02

    Narrative Short

    Fiction shorts under 45 minutes, with no premiere rule, so a film that has screened elsewhere can enter.

    A photoreal AI drama sits here. Keep the performance believable and the story small.

  • 03

    Documentary Short

    Non-fiction shorts, for which Raindance also lists a Best Documentary Short prize.

    AI is risky here, since audiences expect real footage. If you use it, label every reconstructed image.

  • 04

    Narrative Feature

    Features of 45 minutes or more, which must be at least UK premieres. The 2026 edition screened 85 features.

    A feature is a bigger bet for a first AI project: more footage to keep consistent, and a UK premiere to protect.

  • 05

    Immersive

    VR, AR and MR experiences, games and virtual worlds, with no running time limit. Raindance says 2D films are not accepted there.

    Not for a generated film, which is flat. Skip it unless you build a world to walk through.

The 2026 edition

What the 34th edition shows.

The 34th Raindance ran from 17 to 26 June 2026 at Vue Piccadilly. The programme announcement counts 85 features, 112 shorts and 27 immersive projects, and the festival published a nominee and winner list.

  1. 01

    Shorts are a large strand. 112 shorts were programmed against 85 features. The announcement gives no figure for submissions, so no odds can be stated.

  2. 02

    First films get the spotlight. 48 of the 85 features were by first-time directors, and the festival has a Best Debut Director prize and a Discovery Award for debut features.

  3. 03

    Animation is its own race. Eleven animated shorts were nominated for Best Animated Short in 2026. The list names no tool, and nothing marks any title as AI-generated.

  4. 04

    AI sits in the Industry strand. The 2026 AI events were a CapCut screening and a Moonmax masterclass at the Canon Lounge. That is a fact about the programme, not a ruling on the competition.

A short to take to London

Lost Garden: an animated short in six shots.

The cave opening of Lost Garden, episode 2, an animated fantasy made by the ScreenWeaver team with Seedance. At 21 minutes it is a short by Raindance's own line, under 45 minutes, and it would enter as an Animation Short. It answers the festival's first criterion with a clear want in the first minutes and the same two characters across the scene.

Logline. A newborn knight whose inner light is leaking away crosses a world that has stopped hoping, to find the one blacksmith who can seal his armor.

Screenplay · episode 2 · page 1

INT. UNDERGROUND CAVERN - LOWER PATH - CONTINUOUS

Blue mushrooms the size of houses. LANTERN, a small knight with a lantern for a helm, walks alone.

He presses a hand to his chest. Sparks of light slip between his fingers.

SERRURE

Hold on. You're losing something.

Serrure lifts the edge of the cloak. A gash in the armor. Blue light leaks out like smoke.

SERRURE

That's your energy. What keeps you standing.

He grips Lantern's shoulder. Two knights alone among the crystals.

SERRURE

A suit that leaks goes out. Eventually.

Under the giant mushrooms, the road climbs into the dark.

SERRURE

So. We follow the road.

Serrure points the way. Lantern follows.

CUT TO:

  1. A small knight with a lantern helm stands by a giant glowing blue mushroom in a crystal cavern
    Storyboard frame of the same wide shot, in grey
    01

    Wide · the world

    Wide shot, Lantern alone by a giant glowing blue mushroom, crystal cavern, roots, drifting spores, cold blue light

  2. Close-up of an armored chest under a cream cloak, a gloved hand, a spark of light
    Storyboard frame of the chest close-up, in grey
    02

    Close-up · the chest

    Close-up on Lantern's chest, his gloved hand pressed to the cloak, a spark of light escaping between the fingers

  3. A torn gash in an armor plate leaking bright blue light, a finger pointing at it
    Storyboard frame of the wound insert, in grey
    03

    Insert · the wound

    Extreme close-up, Serrure's finger near a torn gash in the back plate, blue light leaking out like luminous smoke

  4. Two armored knights side by side, one with a hand on the other's shoulder, in a crystal cavern
    Storyboard frame of the two-shot, in grey
    04

    Two-shot · the bond

    Medium two-shot among crystals and roots, Serrure's hand on Lantern's shoulder, faceless armors, emotion through posture only

  5. Two small knights walk beneath two giant glowing blue mushrooms
    Storyboard frame of the wide shot, in grey
    05

    Wide · the scale

    Wide low angle, the two knights tiny beneath two giant glowing mushrooms, blue crystals in the foreground, mist

  6. Seen from behind, a tall dark knight points ahead while the small lantern knight looks on
    Storyboard frame of the over-the-shoulder shot, in grey
    06

    Over the shoulder · the road

    Over-the-shoulder from behind, Serrure points ahead into the cavern, Lantern beside him, roots framing the path

Lost Garden, episode 2, 21 minutes, made by the ScreenWeaver team with Seedance and outside any studio, which is the independence Raindance asks about. Episode 1 reached the finals of the AI London Festival. The player opens on the cave scene, its opening.

The script

A 15 minute animated short in four movements.

Raindance shorts run under 45 minutes, but a tight one is easier to finish. Aim for 15 minutes: about 15 screenplay pages and 130 to 160 shots, and make the first minute a promise.

  1. 0:00 to 1:00

    The promise

    A programmer watches many shorts in a row. State the character, the place and the problem before the first minute ends.

  2. 1:00 to 4:00

    The want

    What the character is after, and the one rule of the world. Keep the look fixed from here to the last frame.

  3. 4:00 to 12:00

    The cost

    Each scene makes the want more expensive. Give one scene to sound and a face with no dialogue.

  4. 12:00 to 15:00

    The choice

    Make the character choose, show the price, and stop early. Leave the audience a question for the Q&A.

A selected film needs a DCP and a Blu-ray backup, with English subtitle files for foreign language films. Plan the master and the subtitles before you shoot the last shot.

Week by week

Sixteen weeks to the regular deadline.

On 1 October 2026 the regular deadline of 18 January 2027 is sixteen weeks away, and the early one of 7 December is ten. Make the early one and you save £11 on a short.
  1. 01

    Weeks 1 and 2

    Read, then ask

    Read the Submissions page and FAQ once more. Email the festival about your AI use and keep the answer. Decide on a length of 15 minutes or less.

  2. 02

    Weeks 3 and 4

    Screenplay

    Write fifteen pages free in ScreenWeaver. Give every character a face you can describe in one line, and every location a mood.

  3. 03

    Weeks 5 and 6

    Storyboard and sound plan

    Each shot gets a storyboard frame with its framing and camera move. Note where the film goes quiet.

  4. 04

    Weeks 7 to 11

    Generate the footage

    Scene by scene with Seedance in ScreenWeaver, as video generation reaches your plan. Reroll early and keep the prompts.

  5. 05

    Weeks 12 to 14

    Edit, mix, subtitle

    Cut, mix and export a master that can become a DCP. Make the English subtitle file now, whatever the language of the dialogue.

  6. 06

    Weeks 15 and 16

    Submit on FilmFreeway

    Check completion after 1 January 2025 and a running time under 45 minutes. Send the final cut, since only the first one is previewed.

Ways to lose a spot

Eight traps for a first submission.

Raindance is relaxed about style and strict about delivery and facts. These are the limits that matter most for an AI short, and each can be checked in an hour.

  • A feature that is not a UK premiere

    Features must not have been released in the UK on any format, nor screened publicly online. This premiere rule does not apply to shorts.

  • A short over 45 minutes

    Shorts are under 45 minutes and features over. A 46 minute cut changes your category, your fee and your premiere rule.

  • A film completed before 2025

    To be eligible for 2027, a film must have been completed after 1 January 2025. A short finished in 2024 is out, however good it is.

  • No delivery plan

    Every selected film, short or feature, must deliver a DCP and a backup Blu-ray, clearly labelled. The DCP must arrive twenty days before the screening.

  • Foreign dialogue with no subtitle file

    All foreign language films must include English subtitle files. A generated voice in another language counts as foreign language dialogue.

  • Sending a rough cut

    Raindance accepts work in progress but previews only the first cut you submit. Upload your best version the first time.

  • A reputation problem

    You confirm there is nothing about the film or anyone involved that could bring Raindance into disrepute. Raindance can withdraw a selection if one appears. Clear every likeness and voice.

  • A promo disguised as a film

    Independent nature is a selection criterion. A film that is mainly an advert for a product or a tool is a poor fit for this festival.

Why ScreenWeaver

Raindance rewards a voice. Start with the script.

Raindance imposes no tool and no AI rule, and it prizes narrative. ScreenWeaver is screenplay, storyboard and footage in one connected project, built for the film as a whole.

  • A script first

    The first criterion is narrative. The Screenwriter plan is free with no time limit, exports PDF and Final Draft, and keeps your work private. Write well before you generate anything.

  • The same faces, all the way through

    A programmer can forgive a modest budget but not a character who changes face between shots. Characters, locations and references carry from shot to shot in the project.

  • A film you can master

    Raindance wants a DCP and subtitle files. A project that ties every shot to its scene and its frame gives you a clean order for the edit, and a record of what was generated if anyone asks.

  • Start for free today

    Write the whole short on the free Screenwriter plan, with no time limit. A storyboard costs $9.99 a month in Storyboard Beta, and Filmmaker adds Seedance footage as it rolls out.

Real productions

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

ScreenWeaver is already being used as a creative workspace for real AI film productions, from cinematic shorts to animated series pilots selected, nominated, and awarded by international festivals.

  • Video thumbnail for VOIDBORN

    VOIDBORN

    AI animated / cinematic short

    Festival recognition

    • 1st Place Silver

      Mondial Chroma Awards

    • 2nd Place Dreamina

      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. ScreenWeaver 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. ScreenWeaver 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. ScreenWeaver 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 AI film festivals

Guides for other festivals

Go further

Guides for festival films

FAQ

Raindance and AI films, your questions

Can you submit an AI film to Raindance?
The official pages contain no AI rule, so nothing forbids it. An AI film enters as an ordinary short, animation short or feature. The FilmFreeway terms could not be read, so email the festival if you want it in writing.
Does Raindance have an AI strand?
Not as a competition. Its 2026 programme listed an AI-assisted shorts screening with CapCut and an AI Filmmaking Masterclass hosted by Moonmax, both in the Industry strand. Nothing shows a 2027 equivalent yet.
When is the deadline?
The early deadline is 7 December 2026, the regular one 18 January 2027 and the late one 8 March 2027. Raindance notifies submitters on 16 May 2027.
How much does a short cost?
£38 early, £49 regular and £66 late, paid by credit card and non-refundable. Raindance Create members get one free submission a year, and FilmFreeway Gold members get 10 per cent off.
When is the festival?
The 35th Raindance Film Festival runs from 16 to 25 June 2027 in central London, according to the festival FAQ. The 34th ran from 17 to 26 June 2026.
How long can a short be?
Under 45 minutes. Features are over 45 minutes. There is no premiere rule for shorts, and a film must have been completed after 1 January 2025.
Is Raindance Oscar qualifying?
Recipients of the qualifying awards, Best Animation Short, Best Documentary Short and Short of the Festival, can be considered for the Academy Awards without the standard theatrical run, if the film meets the Academy rules.
What about the Raindance Script Competition?
It shares the festival's three deadlines and asks for unproduced scripts in PDF, in English, original to the writer. Its rules page has no AI clause, but write the script yourself to meet the original work rule.

Sixteen weeks. Start with the page.

Open a free project today. By January the film can be finished.
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