iQIYI Concludes First AI Short Film Competition, Cementing AI's Role as Creative Co-Author

Leading Chinese streaming giant iQIYI, a dominant force in the People's Republic of China's entertainment sector, has successfully concluded its inaugural international short film competition. The event, held under the inspiring theme, "Beyond tools, to teammates," culminated in an awards ceremony on November 10, 2025. This landmark competition affirmed AI's new status, shifting its role from a mere auxiliary function to that of a genuine co-creator within the filmmaking process. For content creators globally, this forum represents a crucial step in redefining cinematic boundaries and unlocking previously unattainable avenues for artistic expression and storytelling.

The contest officially commenced on July 10, 2025, and quickly garnered substantial global attention, drawing participation from over 2300 authors representing more than 30 nations worldwide. This widespread engagement highlights the strong international curiosity regarding the potential synergy between human artistry and technological capabilities. A core requirement for entry mandated that a minimum of 70% of the overall content volume had to be generated using artificial intelligence tools. Filmmakers leveraged cutting-edge generative models, specifically naming Google’s Veo 3 and Doubao Seedance 1.0 Pro, developed by Volcano Engine (a subsidiary of ByteDance). The extensive use of these high-level tools illustrates the deepening partnership and tight integration required between major tech corporations and established media platforms to drive innovation in the creative sector.

The coveted Grand Prize was secured by Chen Yuexue for her exceptional submission, "My Home Lies Beneath the Fireworks." Judges were particularly impressed by the rapid turnaround time, noting that the entire project was executed in a mere 10 days. This achievement powerfully demonstrated AI's capacity to drastically compress the traditional filmmaking production timeline. Chen Yuexue commented on the transformative power of the technology, stating that AI "allows ideas to be realized that were previously impossible to shoot."

The second-place honors were split between two noteworthy entries: Wen Ye for "Fantasy of the Tree" and Pan Yu for "Alaiya." Pan Yu predicted that competitions of this nature would soon become industry standard, asserting that AI has the potential to "help overcome the limitations of human excessive thinking and push us beyond our capabilities." The platform distributed a total of 11 distinct accolades during the ceremony, which included specialized recognition for Best Creativity and Best Narrative. All submitted works adhered to a strict runtime constraint of between one and five minutes.

This successful competition aligns with iQIYI’s comprehensive strategic vision for integrating AI into media production. As early as September 2025, the platform partnered with the acclaimed Oscar-winning cinematographer Peter Pau to establish the "Peter Pau AI Theater Storytelling Lab." This initiative is specifically designed to cultivate and train the next cohort of professionals specializing in AI-driven cinematography. The public can anticipate viewing the initial films produced by this specialized lab starting in early 2026. By hosting this event and investing heavily in future training initiatives, iQIYI emphatically confirms its belief that AI represents not merely a passing technological fad, but rather a foundational paradigm shift in how content is produced, shifting the focus of storytellers from technical constraints to the intrinsic depth and conceptual purity of their narratives.