The initiative underscores ethical AI use, human-centered storytelling, and the integration of Google Gemini tools, requiring at least 70% AI creation for each film through technical validation.

The shortlist is divided into two thematic categories: Rewrite Tomorrow, featuring future-focused, hopeful stories, and The Secret Life of Everything, exploring unseen narratives about everyday subjects, with titles and directors from a wide range of countries including Egypt, South Korea, the UK, Germany, Spain, Palestine, the US, the Philippines, Jordan, Tunisia, Canada, and more.

Examples among the shortlisted works include Heal from Egypt by Mohamed Gomaa Rizk, Cats Like Warmth from South Korea, Homeward from the UK, Roots of Tomorrow from Germany, and Maestra from Spain, each offering distinct takes on memory, emotion, environment, and technology.

Google MENA's Anthony Nakache emphasized collaboration with the Summit and the global interest in AI-driven storytelling, underscoring the platform’s role in discovering talent regardless of resource levels.

The award drew submissions from 116 countries, illustrating a wide, worldwide interest in AI-assisted storytelling and talent discovery.

Jury members span across tech, film, and creator communities, bringing expertise from Google, Cannes Lions, YouTube, ElevenLabs, and SiliconValleyGirl.

Dubai’s 1 Billion Followers Summit unveiled the Top 12 films for the world’s largest AI-generated film award, with a prize of US$1 million, selected from about 3,500 submissions by a global jury.

A diverse, high-profile jury—including Dan Germain of Google Brand Studio London, Ali Ali, Christian Haas, Piotr Dąbkowski, and Marina Mogilko—evaluates the entries.

The jury’s composition emphasizes a blend of brand, creative, and technical voices to assess both artistic merit and responsible AI use.

Interest in the award has drawn more than 30,000 people from 116 countries, signaling strong global engagement to promote meaningful, AI-assisted content and cross-cultural connection.

The shortlist highlights titles such as Pursuit of Pearl, Dreams Don't Die, Heal, Portrait No. 72, and eight additional films, each with unique brief plots and international directors.

Representatives from Google, including Nakache, framed the award as a venue to discover talent and to showcase responsible, community-minded use of AI tools like Google Gemini.