Robert Gaudette wins 2026 Reply AI Film Festival

Canadian director Robert Gaudette has won the 2026 Reply AI Film Festival with his short film, ‘A Face Only A Mother Could Love’. The award ceremony took place on September 6 at the Lido in Venice, held in conjunction with the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.

Organized by Reply and Mastercard, the festival’s third edition received over 3,000 short film entries from 76 different countries. The competition aims to explore new cinematic storytelling possibilities through the use of artificial intelligence. Ten productions reached the final stage, with judges evaluating originality, production quality, and the integration of AI throughout the creative process, from scriptwriting to post-production.

The international jury was chaired by Oscar-winning director Gabriele Salvatores. Following the selection, Salvatores noted that while he approached the festival with some skepticism, he was impressed by how young artists combined poetry with technology, stating, ‘I came with a certain skepticism and I leave with new hope.’