LMU Announces Inaugural AI-Focused Innovators Film Festival (EXCLUSIVE)

Loyola Marymount University’s School of Film and Television (SFTV) has set the inaugural Innovators Film Festival, a two-day global student short film event set for March 27 and 28, 2025 on LMU’s Westchester campus. This forward-looking festival will showcase short films from student filmmakers across the globe, incorporating advanced technology into their projects.

The Innovators Film Festival will feature short films showcasing how technology, such as AI, VFX, and VR are driving creative innovation in modern storytelling. Each film must include a technological element in its production, emphasizing the integration of AI, digital effects, or virtual production techniques. In addition to screenings, the festival will host insightful panels with industry professionals, exploring how AI can be effectively utilized in filmmaking, the ways major networks and studios are incorporating AI into content creation, and discussions on AI ethics in the entertainment industry. Attendees will also have the chance to network with representatives from top studios and production companies, creating invaluable opportunities for career advancement and connection.

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“We’re excited to launch this festival recognizing LMU’s awareness that AI will have a place in responsible filmmaking. The festival offers an incredible opportunity for students to gain firsthand experience and knowledge that will equip them for success in the rapidly changing landscape of the entertainment industry,” said LMU SFTV Dean Joanne Moore.

In March 2024, SFTV co-sponsored the third Innovation Symposium: Disruption and Innovation in Entertainment, attracting more than 200 leading industry and academic experts to discuss how AI and new technology is impacting the entertainment industry.

Further advancing the university’s commitment to incorporating new tech into the classroom, LMU offered a brand-new AI course this fall titled “Producing and Screenwriting with AI,” taught by screenwriting professor and Verified Labs CEO Justin Trevor Winters. This course focuses on using AI in content creation, from development to distribution. Additionally, LMU SFTV and LMU Loyola Law School will introduce “The Business of Screenwriting – Law and AI” in the spring, exploring the intersection of law, technology, and entertainment, including AI ethics, IP ownership, and innovative distribution methods.