Cue Film Fest, AFRO TV’s seasonal AI short-film festival, opens submissions October 5 through November 20, 2026 for its inaugural edition. Filmmakers are invited to create and showcase original one-minute and 30 seconds to three-minute AI short films with a Christmas theme. Ten finalists will be announced December 1, ahead of a December 12, 2026 festival and live awards ceremony. The ceremony will air nationwide on AFRO TV via Comcast Xfinity channel 1623 and stream on NOW TV, with winners announced during the broadcast.
Four awards, decided by viewers and a jury
Cue Christmas ’26 presents four cash awards: Best Film, Best Image, Best Sound and Best Music Video. A selection committee chooses the finalists, and viewers and a three-member jury decide the winners. Voting runs December 1–12, 2026 at cuefilmfest.com. The Live broadcast will begin on December 12, 2026, at 7:00 p.m. ET with the red carpet and finalist screenings, followed by the awards ceremony at 8:00 p.m. ET.
Cue Christmas ’26 is the first of a seasonal series that continues in 2027 with Valentine’s Day, Easter, Mother’s Day and Halloween editions. Full rules are at cuefilmfest.com.
“AI video generators are democratizing filmmaking, putting remarkable new tools in the hands of anyone with a story to tell. Imagination is now the only limit,” said Yves Bollanga, CEO of AFRO TV. “These AI tools let filmmakers create amazing films faster than ever, and that creativity deserves to be celebrated more than once a year, which is why Cue is a seasonal festival. Cue Film Fest puts those filmmakers, and the companies building the technology behind their work, on the same stage in front of a national audience.”
Why AFRO TV
Since 2005, AFRO TV has been a leading broadcaster of African American and Black movies in the United States and Canada, on cable, satellite and streaming. It draws on a catalog of more than 1,500 titles, broadcasting four movies a day and premiering 96 new films a year, with more than 350 movies available on demand via Comcast Xfinity. That makes AFRO TV a natural home for a festival that brings a new generation of filmmakers to the screen.
An invitation to generative AI companies
The festival offers the companies behind generative AI video, image, sound and story-development tools an opportunity to connect with filmmakers and an awards stage where audiences can experience the capabilities of those tools.
To be eligible to compete, films must be made using any generative AI video tools.
On December 12, 2026 the AI Village is open from noon to 6:00 p.m. ET with hands-on workshops where filmmakers can try, test and play with partners’ tools, while live demos take place in the theater from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. ET. The participating lineup will be announced separately. Technology companies interested in partnering as part of this event are encouraged to contact the festival at cuefilmfest.com.
About Cue Film Fest
Cue Film Fest is AFRO TV’s recurring seasonal AI short-film festival, where filmmakers combine generative AI video with human storytelling, direction and editing. Learn more at cuefilmfest.com.
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