AI on the big, big screen as films make theatrical debut at 10 IMAX locations

Runway AI has partnered with IMAX to screen finalist films from its 2025 AI Film Festival at 10 IMAX theaters across the U.S. between August 17-20. This marks a significant milestone for AI-generated cinema, elevating these typically social media-bound creations to premium theatrical experiences and legitimizing AI filmmaking as a serious creative medium.

What you should know: The partnership brings AI-generated films to IMAX’s premium format for the first time, with 40 total screenings planned across major U.S. cities.
• Ten finalist films, lasting 2-10 minutes each, will screen at locations including Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
• Each location will host four screenings, and the films will be available online after the IMAX run concludes.
• Judges selected these finalists from 6,000 submissions—double last year’s number—indicating growing interest in AI filmmaking.

The big picture: IMAX’s involvement signals mainstream acceptance of AI-generated content as legitimate cinema worthy of premium presentation.
• “The IMAX Experience has typically been reserved for the world’s most accomplished and visionary filmmakers,” said Jonathan Fischer, IMAX’s chief content officer. “We’re excited to open our aperture and use our platform to experiment with a new kind of creator, as storytelling and technology converge in an entirely new way.”
• The partnership represents a bridge between experimental AI art and traditional entertainment industry infrastructure.

What they’re watching: The finalist films showcase AI’s capacity for surreal, imaginative storytelling that pushes creative boundaries.
• Jailbird by Andrew Salter follows a chicken whose life changes when sent to human prison, promising an absurd experience enhanced by IMAX’s immersive format.
• In One from Ricardo Villavicencio and Edward Saatchi depicts transhumans traveling to a distant planet after Earth’s collapse, only to encounter lost souls seeking their human bodies back.
• “The quality, variety and storytelling of these films deserves a premium viewing experience,” said Cristóbal Valenzuela, Runway’s co-founder and CEO.

Why this matters: The festival occurs amid ongoing debates about AI’s impact on creative industries, with artists split between embracing the technology’s potential and fearing displacement.
• Runway’s tool generates videos from text, images, or video clips, democratizing film production but raising questions about traditional filmmaking roles.
• The judging panel included industry veterans like Bruce Markoe from IMAX, Kia Brooks from the Gotham Film and Media Institute, and Emmy-winning producer Joel Kuwahara, lending credibility to AI-generated content.

What they’re saying: Valenzuela frames AI as a collaborative tool rather than a replacement for human creativity.
• “Sometimes we hold AI to some sort of impossible set of standards where we ask systems to do entire jokes, entire shows, entire movies or entire songs themselves, and really, that’s never been the point,” he explained. “You can choose which parts you’re going to incorporate. It’s up to you as an artist how you want to best utilize it.”