AI Film Contest
Presented by Bitcoin FilmFest + MoneroKon

The future of money
Money of the future

Create a short film with the help of AI. 2,500,000 sats in main track prizes. Finalists screen live in Warsaw, June 2026.

Submit a Film Attend the Festival
Bitcoin FilmFest, Warsaw
June 4-7, 2026. 4th Edition. ~300 attendees.
The world's only Bitcoin film festival.
Winners announced live on June 7, 2026.
Get Tickets

About the Contest

The Future of Money AI Film Contest, presented by Bitcoin FilmFest and MoneroKon, is a public competition for short films made with AI tools. It is open to filmmakers, artists, animators, creative technologists, storytellers, and first-time makers from anywhere in the world.

The contest includes a main track and partner tracks. The main track culminates in a live audience vote during Bitcoin FilmFest in Warsaw. Selected films also appear in a public online gallery opening June 1, 2026.

What counts as an AI film

AI should play a meaningful role in the creative process. Fully generated or hybrid workflows are both welcome.

Language

English or subtitled in English.

Your rights

You keep them. Submitting grants festival screening and gallery display rights only.

Bitcoin FilmFest 2026 Warsaw June 4-7

Bitcoin FilmFest is Warsaw's only Bitcoin film festival and the biggest Bitcoin cultural event centered around cinema. Now in its 4th edition, it sits on the cultural edge of cinema and Bitcoin. A slow cultural revolution, one film at a time.

How It Works

May 31, 2026
Submit your film
by 11:59 PM PDT
June 1, 2026
Public gallery
opens online
June 1-6, 2026
Jury shortlists
finalists
June 4-7, 2026
Bitcoin FilmFest
Warsaw
June 7, 2026
Live audience vote
Winners announced

Tracks

The Future of Money
Main Track. Presented by Bitcoin FilmFest. Co-sponsored by MoneroKon.

The main track invites creators to imagine the future of money. We are looking for bold, thoughtful, strange, cinematic, funny, philosophical, emotional, or visually ambitious films about how humans may exchange value in the future.

Your story may explore trust, trade, debt, memory, markets, networks, surveillance, freedom, cooperation, ritual, or entirely new forms of economic life. The prompt is intentionally broad. We are not looking for one ideology, one policy answer, or one technology. We are looking for strong artistic interpretations of what money could become.

1st Place
1,500,000 sats
~$998
2nd Place
750,000 sats
~$499
3rd Place
250,000 sats
~$166
The Future of State
Partner Track. Presented by Bitcoin District

Bitcoin District is an experimental ecosystem in Próspera, the free zone on Roatan island, the most forward-looking and liberal jurisdiction in the world. bitcoindistrict.io

Who holds power, and why? How are rules made, broken, and remade? This track invites you to imagine governance not as it is, but as it could be. Utopian, dystopian, or entirely unexpected. What does sovereignty look like when borders are porous, institutions are automated, and citizens can exit? We don't prescribe an answer. We invite your vision.

Winner
300,000 sats
~$200
Proof of Energy
Ordain Commission. Commissioned by Terence Michael

Terence Michael is an Emmy-nominated producer with over 20 films and 30 TV shows to his credit. His book Proof of Money makes the case for Bitcoin as a monetary system. He runs 100 Percent Terry Cloth.

Most people don't understand how wasted and dirty energy can be captured and converted into Bitcoin. This track asks filmmakers to show the process: captured methane from a city landfill, combusted and turned into electricity, powering ASIC miners hashing to win a Bitcoin block. From the waste of overconsumption to compressed and contained energy in the form of Bitcoin. Documentary accuracy is the goal, but the visual approach is yours. Colorful, cinematic, and vibrant storytelling is strongly encouraged.

Total Pool
765,000 sats
~$509

This track runs on Ordain, a commission board for short films that pays creators over Bitcoin Lightning. The commissioner picks the top film. The remaining pool is split among all submitters by peer vote. Everyone who enters earns something. Full details on how voting works.

Submit a Film

Jury

Films are pre-selected by the Bitcoin FilmFest jury team. Final winners of the main track are chosen by live audience vote in Warsaw on June 7.

Rules

Why Submit

Screen your film at Bitcoin FilmFest in Warsaw, live, in a room full of Bitcoiners and Monero community from around the world.

Compete for 2,500,000 sats in main track prizes across multiple tracks.

Show your work to one of the most intellectually engaged audiences in crypto-adjacent cinema.

Be part of an emerging movement: AI-augmented filmmaking at the frontier of culture and money.

Get promoted by Bitcoin FilmFest and reach their partner sponsors, communities, and global audience.

Submit a Film

Post your finished film as an unlisted video on YouTube or Vimeo, then submit the link below. Your film will remain private until the public gallery opens on June 1, 2026.

Don't have one? Strike or Alby will set you up in minutes. See all options.

Films remain private until the public gallery opens June 1, 2026. Submissions close May 31, 2026, 11:59 PM PDT. You may submit to more than one track, but only one film per track.

By submitting, you agree to the Terms of Participation and to festival screening and public gallery display.

What Does an AI Film Look Like?

AI filmmaking spans everything from fully generated imagery to hybrid workflows mixing live action, animation, and generative tools. Here are recent examples from the Bitcoin FilmFest community.

Untitled
Dir. DaLucro (@DaBTCProfit). 2026.
Untitled
Dir. The Documentarian of the Future (@_fielski). 2026.

FAQ

Who can enter?
Anyone with a strong idea and the ability to make a film with AI tools. Experienced filmmakers, amateurs, and first-time creators are all welcome.
Does the film need to be fully AI-generated?
No. AI should be a meaningful part of the creative process, but hybrid workflows are welcome.
Can I submit a film that is already published?
Yes.
Do I keep the rights to my film?
Yes. You keep your rights. By submitting, you agree to festival screening and inclusion in the public gallery.
What language should the film be in?
Films should be in English or subtitled in English.
Are submissions public right away?
No. Films remain private until the public gallery opens on June 1, 2026.
How are winners chosen?
The Bitcoin FilmFest jury selects the shortlist. The main track winner is then chosen by live audience vote in Warsaw. Partner tracks are decided by their commissioners or sponsors. The Proof of Energy track uses Ordain's peer voting mechanism.
Can one film enter multiple tracks?
Each film should be submitted to one primary track, though it may also be considered for relevant add-on prizes.
Can I submit more than one film?
Yes. Submit each film separately through the form.
What happens to films that aren't shortlisted?
All submissions appear in the public gallery opening June 1, 2026. The shortlist determines which films screen at the festival and compete for the main track prizes.
How does the Proof of Energy track work differently?
Proof of Energy is an Ordain commission. Half of 765,000 sats goes to the commissioner's choice. The other half is distributed by ranked-choice peer vote among all creators who submitted and voted. Everyone who participates earns something.
What about gallery timing, submission count, and other details?
A live submission count will be visible before the gallery opens. Submitted films remain private until June 1, 2026. Films may also be considered for relevant add-on prizes where applicable. Creators keep their rights but agree to festival screening and public gallery display by submitting.