AI.motion 2026: A Festival at IULM Dedicated to Cinema and the Audiovisual Arts in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
On October 9 and 10, IULM 6 will once again host AI.motion, the Italian film and audiovisual festival featuring artificial intelligence, organized by IULM in collaboration with the Neural Network association.
Screenings, talks, workshops, and performances exploring the transformations of audiovisual language in the age of artificial intelligence. This is the heart of the third edition of AI.motion, scheduled for October 9 and 10, 2026, at the IULM 6 campus in Milan.
Created with the goal of mapping and critically analyzing the relationship between cinema and artificial intelligence, the festival brings together industry professionals, filmmakers, artists, curators, academics, and journalists for a multidisciplinary discussion on new forms of audiovisual production. From film to advertising, including music videos, AI.motion explores the expressive possibilities of generative technologies and the aesthetic, cultural, and ethical issues tied to their use.
Events
Among the events of the third edition is the workshop “La Scuola dell’Immagine. Exercises for Reading, Undoing, and Subverting Images, ” curated by Donatella Della Ratta and Noura Tafeche, offers a collective viewing experience to critically examine contemporary images through dialogue and the construction of new shared interpretations.
The festival also pays tribute to German director Alexander Kluge with “Alexander Kluge. AI at the End of Cinema,” featuring two screenings: *Cosmic Miniatures* (2024) and *Primitive Diversity (2025). These works invite viewers to reflect on the relationship between cinema and algorithmic images, as well as on the expressive possibilities of artificial intelligence.
Rounding out the program is Donatella Della Ratta’s lecture performance “Ask Me for Those Unborn Promises that May Seem Unlikely to Happen in the Natural #5, ” created in collaboration with THE VOID, dedicated to the concept of “speculative violence” and the role of images generated by artificial intelligence.
Synthetic Bodies. The Body in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
From October 6 to 10, The Bridge will also host “Synthetic Bodies, ” an exhibition curated by Chiara Canali dedicated to the transformations in the representation of the body in the age of artificial intelligence.
The exhibition explores the relationship between corporeality and generative technologies and is part of AI.motion’s reflection on the role of synthetic images in the construction of contemporary imaginaries. The opening reception will take place on Friday , October 9, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
On Saturday, October 10, at 4:30 p.m., Chiara Canali will also present the book *Professione “Digital Art Curator”. From New Media Art to Artificial Intelligence*, published by Jaca Book in 2026.
The international competition
At the heart of the festival will be the international competition, which will bring a selection of works from around the world to the big screen, offering an overview of audiovisual experiments created through the use of artificial intelligence.
The jury, composed of Matteo Bittanti, Maria Bernardi, Roberto Beragnoli, and Manuel Musilli, will award three prizes: Best Short Film, Best Music Video, and Best Advertising Spot. In addition, there will be the Prompt Magazine Award and the Rai Cinema Channel Award.
The festival takes place with the support of media partners FilmTv, Filmmaker, Sentieri Selvaggi, Gli Spietati, Prompt Magazine, Clanker Magazine, Rai Cinema Channel, and Dedalus.
The Program
Friday, October 9
- 11:00 a.m.–1:00 p.m. – The School of the Image. Exercises for reading, deconstructing, and subverting images, a workshop led by Donatella Della Ratta and Noura Tafeche – Room 603.
- 2:30 p.m. – Alexander Kluge. AI at the End of Cinema: screening of *Cosmic Miniatures* (2024, 94 min.) – Room 146.
- 4:30 PM – Ask Me for Those Unborn Promises that May Seem Unlikely to Happen in the Natural #5, a performance curated by Donatella Della Ratta – Room 146.
- 6:00 PM – International Competition Screenings – Room 146.
Saturday, October 10
- 2:30 p.m. – Alexander Kluge. AI at the End of Cinema: screening of *Primitive Diversity* (2025, 80 min.) – Sala dei 146.
- 4:30 p. m. – Presentation of the book *The Profession of “Digital Art Curator”: From New Media Art to Artificial Intelligence* – Sala dei 146.
- 6:00 PM – Screenings from the international competition – Room 146.
AI.motion – Italian Film and Audiovisual Festival Featuring
Artificial Intelligence
October 9–10, 2026
IULM 6 – Via Carlo Bo 7, Milan
The festival is part of the “Badge of Honor” initiative. Attendance at 3 sessions spread over two days, or voluntary participation as an intern, will count as completion of 1 “Honor” activity.
Admission is free while seats last. We recommend arriving fifteen minutes before the event begins.