SXSW Film & TV 2027 · AI films guide

Can you submit an AI film to SXSW?No rule says no. Today is the last day.

SXSW's published submission rules contain no clause on AI. The final deadline for the 2027 festival is today, 1 October 2026, at 11:59 pm PT. What the rules do say, what they leave out, and how to prepare for the next call. Then start your own film in ScreenWeaver, from screenplay to storyboard to footage.
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  • Final deadline today, 1 October 2026
  • No AI rule in the support pages
  • Festival 15 to 21 March 2027
Lost Garden · Episode 2

Independent guide. ScreenWeaver does not organise SXSW and is not affiliated with SXSW, LLC. Rules read on 1 October 2026. Official submissions page

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The rules on one card

What SXSW asks of a short.

SXSW Film & TV is a general festival with a strong premiere culture. It has no published AI rule, so the rules that decide your film are about premiere status, runtime and a working link.
Festival
15 to 21 March 2027, Austin, Texas
Final deadline
Thursday 1 October 2026, 11:59 pm PT
Fee at the final deadline
$90 for a short, $125 for a feature
Short runtime
40 minutes or less, credits included
Eligible work
Completed in 2025 or 2026, or on track for early 2027
How to submit
By link on sxsw.com only, no DVDs
Answer by
9 February 2027 at the latest
AI rule
None in the pages I read

Source: sxsw.com/film-submissions and the support-center articles on deadlines, how to submit, runtimes and short film eligibility, read on 1 October 2026. The submissions page labels the final deadline Wednesday while the support article says Thursday: 1 October 2026 is a Thursday. The fees article returned an error, so fees come from the submissions page.

What the rules say about AI

No AI clause, six rules that still apply.

I looked for the words AI and generative AI in everything SXSW publishes for submitters. I found none. That is a fact about the rules, not a verdict on your film, and these are the rules that surround the silence.

  • The rules: silence

    The submissions page and the support articles on how to submit, deadlines, runtimes and short film eligibility never mention AI. A search for artificial intelligence on support.sxsw.com returned one unrelated article, about SXSW Pitch. Checked on 1 October 2026.

  • Claims you will read elsewhere

    Some AI festival guides say SXSW requires AI disclosure or runs an AI category. I found no official text that says so. The categories are feature, short, TV, XR and music video. If it matters to your film, write to filmfest@sxsw.com.

  • Premiere: the rule that bites

    A World Premiere means the film was never available on the Internet for any period. For shorts, premiere status is “an important factor”, not an absolute bar: SXSW says it may still show a short it loves that has not had a lot of attention.

  • Runtime and the 90 minute block

    A short is 40 minutes or less, credits included, the same line the Academy draws. Most shorts play in 90 minute blocks, so SXSW writes that a tighter short is easier to program and a longer one has to be outstanding.

  • One cut, one link

    SXSW reviews only the first cut you submit and will not re-watch a more complete version. Changing your link or login before March 2027 without telling SXSW may make the film ineligible.

  • What a selection is worth

    SXSW is an Oscar-qualifying festival for animated, narrative and documentary shorts, and it counts for BAFTA qualification and the Film Independent Spirit Awards. Whether those bodies accept an AI-made film is a matter for their own rules.

The 2027 call

Four dates, the last one today.

The call opened on 28 July with three deadlines and rising fees. <b>Today's is the last of the three</b>, and every deadline ends at 11:59 pm PT.

  1. 28 Jul 2026

    Entries open

    Through sxsw.com, with a link to a secure online version of your film. Your link must work before you submit.

  2. 25 Aug 2026

    First deadline

    The lowest fees. This date has passed.

  3. 15 Sep 2026

    Second deadline

    A short cost $70, a feature $95. This date has passed.

  4. 1 Oct 2026

    Final deadline, today

    A short costs $90, a feature $125. 11:59 pm PT. Submit the most complete and finished cut you have.

  5. By 9 Feb 2027

    Everyone is informed

    All applicants hear about their project no later than this date. The festival runs from 15 to 21 March 2027.

Who decides

Programmers first, juries and a public vote after.

SXSW does not publish who screens submissions. The pages show how the choice is made and what follows it.

  • SXSW's programmers

    They watch the cut you submit. SXSW says it will try to share a short it connects to and loves, even if premiere status is imperfect. The first minutes and the first cut carry the file.

  • Category juries

    Each competition has its own jury. In 2026 the Narrative Short jury was Ryan Koo of No Film School, Rheagan Kearney of Ley Line Entertainment and Kara Durrett of Pinky Promise Films, according to press coverage of the announcement.

  • The audience

    All Film and TV projects are eligible for Audience Awards in their sections, with voting certified by Maxwell Locke & Ritter. A film that plays well to a room has a second chance.

Where a film can go

Four ways in, one that fits.

SXSW has no AI section. Your project enters through the application for its format. These are the four a ScreenWeaver film could use, and the angle we would take.

  • 01

    Short film

    Narrative, documentary or animated, 40 minutes or less with credits.

    The natural application. An AI short is narrative or animated by its nature: choose by what the film is, and describe how it was made in your own words.

  • 02

    Music video

    Under 10 minutes.

    A strong fit for AI visuals, since the song carries the structure. Keep it unreleased online to protect the premiere.

  • 03

    TV project

    A pilot or first season content including the pilot, with no time restriction.

    For a series with a bible and a finished first episode. Faces that match from episode to episode are the proof.

  • 04

    XR experience

    Immersive projects, with no time restriction.

    For interactive or immersive work. A linear AI film does not belong here.

The 2026 shorts

What the 2026 winners teach.

The jury and special awards of the 2026 festival were announced on 18 March 2026. These are the short winners, from press coverage, and what each says to a maker of AI films.

  1. 01

    Five categories, five kinds of winner. Souvenir took narrative, In The Morning Sun documentary, Paper Trail animated, Tongue midnight, and Paola Ossa's “Fogata” for Rawayana and Bomba Estereo the music video. Choose your category as a filmmaker, not as a tool user.

  2. 02

    Animation was won by an author. Paper Trail is by Don Hertzfeldt, an animator with a signature style. An AI animated short meets that kind of work, so give yours a signature of its own.

  3. 03

    Performance won the narrative prize. Souvenir was praised for raw, moving performances. For an AI film, faces that hold from shot to shot are the hardest craft and the one that counts.

From page to screen

Lost Garden: a scene a programmer can read in a minute.

SXSW programs shorts in 90 minute blocks, so every film has to earn its place fast. Below, the opening of Lost Garden, episode 2, an animated series the ScreenWeaver team made with Seedance: the screenplay page, then each shot as a storyboard frame and as the final image. A clear want, two characters, and a road ahead.

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, about half the 40 minute ceiling SXSW sets for shorts. Cut to 8 to 10 minutes it would fit a block more easily. Episode 1 reached the AI London Festival as a finalist. The player opens on this scene.

The script

An 8 minute short in five movements.

SXSW writes that the tighter your short is, the easier it is to fit into a program. Aim for 8 minutes: about 8 screenplay pages and 80 to 110 shots of 4 to 5 seconds.

  1. 0:00 to 0:30

    The first thirty seconds

    An image and a question. A programmer starts forming a view straight away.

  2. 0:30 to 1:50

    The want

    A character, a desire and an obstacle. One visual rule, then keep it.

  3. 1:50 to 4:50

    The pressure

    Each scene costs more. Cut every shot that shows off the model instead of the story.

  4. 4:50 to 6:55

    The turn

    The scene the film exists for. Hold a face, hold a silence.

  5. 6:55 to 8:00

    The echo

    A last image that answers the first. Then the credits, which count toward the runtime.

SXSW takes only your first cut, so export the version you want judged, with subtitles burned in if needed, and test the link before you submit.

From today to the next call

Today, then the road to the next call.

Today closes the 2027 call. If you have a finished short, you can still submit it. If not, use the months below for the next call, whose dates are not announced. This year's call opened in late July, and a repeat is likely but not promised.
  1. 01

    Today, 1 October 2026

    Submit, or let it go

    A finished cut and a working link: submit before 11:59 pm PT, $90 for a short. Otherwise do not rush a draft in, since SXSW reviews only the first cut.

  2. 02

    October to November 2026

    Write the short

    Eight pages, free in ScreenWeaver, in industry format. Read it aloud and cut every line the picture can say.

  3. 03

    December 2026 to January 2027

    Storyboard and references

    Generate the shot breakdown, adjust framing and duration shot by shot, and approve one reference per character and set.

  4. 04

    February to April 2027

    Generate and edit

    Scene by scene from the storyboard, then cut to 8 minutes. Keep a plain log of every tool for the day someone asks.

  5. 05

    May to July 2027

    Protect the premiere

    Do not post the film or release it on the Internet. For SXSW, any time online ends a World Premiere. Share it only in private.

  6. 06

    When the next call opens

    Submit at the first deadline

    The 2027 call had three deadlines, the cheapest first. Read the new support articles, submit once, and keep the link unchanged until the answer.

Ways to lose a spot

Eight rules that cost films their chance.

All of them come from the SXSW support articles of 2026. Read the 2028 versions again when the call opens.

  • Posting the film online

    A project made publicly available on the Internet is Not a Premiere. For a World Premiere it must never have been online for any period.

  • Sending a draft

    SXSW reviews only the first submitted cut and will not re-watch a more complete one. Submit the version you want judged.

  • Changing the link

    If you change your link or login information before March 2027 without contacting SXSW, the film may become ineligible. Make a stable link first.

  • Using another platform or a disc

    SXSW accepts submissions only through sxsw.com, with a link. It uses no other platform, and DVDs are not considered.

  • A runtime that does not fit

    Shorts are 40 minutes or less including credits, and most play in 90 minute blocks. A longer short must be outstanding to earn the space.

  • Outside the completion window

    For the 2027 festival a project had to be completed in 2025 or 2026 or be on track for early 2027. Check the window in the next call.

  • Trusting the rumours

    AI guides say SXSW requires disclosure or has an AI category. I could not verify either. Check with SXSW at filmfest@sxsw.com when it matters.

  • Waiting for the last hour

    The final deadline costs more than the second, $90 against $70 for a short, and ends at 11:59 pm PT. Submit early in the cycle.

Why ScreenWeaver

SXSW wants a finished first cut. ScreenWeaver gets you there in one project.

ScreenWeaver links the screenplay, the storyboard and the footage in one project. SXSW imposes no tool, so the film is what counts.

  • One cut that holds together

    Because only the first cut is reviewed, it has to be right. Characters, locations and references carry from shot to shot, so the cut you submit holds from its first image to its last.

  • A record, if SXSW or anyone asks

    Every shot stays linked to its scene, its storyboard frame and its prompt. If a festival, a distributor or a viewer asks how the film was made, the answer is in the project.

  • Series as well as shorts

    The same project can become a short for the shorts competition or a pilot for TV. Series and short dramas are supported formats too.

  • Start for free today

    The Screenwriter plan is free for good. Storyboard Beta is $9.99 a month, and generating each shot comes with the Filmmaker plan, now rolling 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

SXSW and AI films, your questions

Can you submit an AI film to SXSW?
Nothing in the published submission rules forbids it. The submissions page and the support articles contain no clause on AI. The rules that apply are the usual ones: premiere status, a runtime of 40 minutes or less for shorts, and a working link.
Does SXSW require AI disclosure?
I found no such requirement in the official pages. Some third-party guides claim one, but I could not verify it. Say how the film was made anyway, and write to filmfest@sxsw.com if you need an answer.
Is there an AI category at SXSW?
Not that I could find. The applications are Feature Film, Short Film (narrative, documentary or animated), TV Project, XR Experience and Music Video.
What is the deadline?
For the 2027 festival, the final deadline is Thursday 1 October 2026 at 11:59 pm PT. A short costs $90 at that stage, a feature $125. The next call has no announced dates.
How long can a short be?
40 minutes or less including all credits, the Academy's definition. Music videos must be under 10 minutes. TV and XR projects have no time restriction.
Can I post the film online before submitting?
Posting it ends a World Premiere, which requires that the film was never available on the Internet. A short can still be considered if programmers love it and it has not had a lot of attention, but do not count on it.
Is SXSW Oscar-qualifying?
Yes for animated, narrative and documentary shorts: winners of those categories become eligible for the Academy Awards short film competition. SXSW also counts for BAFTA qualification and the Film Independent Spirit Awards.
When do I hear back?
All applicants are informed no later than Tuesday 9 February 2027, and the festival runs from 15 to 21 March 2027 in Austin.

Today closes. The next call is yours.

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