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AI Film Festival Japan publishes its 2026 awards

The Finding takes the Grand Prix in Tokyo. Eleven screened films join the catalogue, including Rain, PUNCHLINE and A Message for the Butterfly.

An orange western poster showing a rider and the title The FindingThe FindingReleasedThe Rain title over a dark Tokyo streetTOKYO STORIES『TOKYO 雨/RAIN』FestivalTwo performers on a stage above the Punchline titlePUNCHLINEWatch nowA child in red in a warmly lit roomTOKYO STORIES (TOKYO IMITATION)FestivalA blue poster with illustrated characters and machineryABYSS SIRENFestivalA pink illustrated fox below the Kitsuverse titleTHE AMAZING KITSUVERSEFestivalA costumed character holding a microphoneTicket to NeverlandFestivalA dark blue poster for A Message for the ButterflyA Message for the ButterflyWatch nowA wide-angle face between the words Tokyo and New WaveTOKYO STORIES (TOKYO NEW WAVE)FestivalA portrait overlaid with the title Tokyo EchoTOKYO ECHOFestivalLLittle SunFestival

AI Film Festival Japan published 18 prizes from its November 1 ceremony. The films below have documented festival screenings.

The Grand Prix and AI Movie awards

  • The Finding received GRAND PRIX. In Sicily, a hidden treasure brings a bargain with the Devil back into force.
  • TOKYO STORIES『TOKYO 雨/RAIN』 received BEST AI MOVIE. A visitor sheltering from the rain meets a ballet student in a Tokyo café.
  • PUNCHLINE received OUTSTANDING. Two feared high school students try their hand at manzai, a two-person comedy form.
  • TOKYO STORIES (TOKYO IMITATION) received OUTSTANDING. A Tokyo Stories short that borrows the texture of documentary for a fictional portrait.

Animation awards

  • ABYSS SIREN received BEST ANIMATION. A salvager retrieves a girl from a crystal formation deep under the sea.
  • THE AMAZING KITSUVERSE received OUTSTANDING. A fox lures an older woman into a world where a clap can grant any wish.
  • Ticket to Neverland received OUTSTANDING. Fairy-tale characters compete on a reality show for a single ticket to Neverland.

Creative and voice awards

  • A Message for the Butterfly received BEST CREATIVE. Fragments of memory pass through changing bodies and imagined futures.
  • TOKYO STORIES (TOKYO NEW WAVE) received OUTSTANDING. An experimental Tokyo Stories short built around the energy of the city.
  • TOKYO ECHO received SPECIAL MENTION. Young people’s online accounts of Tokyo become the basis for fictional figures on screen.
  • Little Sun received ElevenLabs Award. An American short recognised by AIFJ for its use of AI voice performance.

The organiser also awarded three film scores, three vocal tracks and the CapCut prize for TechTalkNavigator’s EISENRITTER Confronting the World. The awarded cut of the ongoing series has its own result row.

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