Chinese AI film Website wins two awards at Venice festival
Chinese short film Website, made using artificial intelligence, won two awards at the Reply AI Film Festival 2026 in Venice, Italy. The film received the Reply AI Studios Grand Prix and the Community Award, ECNS reports.
Ten finalists
The author of the 11-minute science fiction work is Li Jiajie. The film was among ten finalists selected from more than 3,100 submissions. Four of the finalist works were from China, representing the genres of science fiction, documentary and fantasy.
Website debuted in April on the Chinese video platform Bilibili and received more than 5.61 million views. The plot centers on a mysterious platform that can transfer events from a parallel world into reality. The film also explores how public attention can affect the real world.
More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.
AI, 3D and web design
During production, the author did not rely solely on automated AI generation. The film combines 3D production, the design of a virtual web platform and several artificial intelligence models for creating images, video, audio and text.
Li Jiajie earned a master's degree from the University of the Arts London and works at the London company WPP. According to him, AI tools are only part of the creative process, while aesthetics, storytelling and content remain decisive for this kind of cinema. For independent projects, he keeps the budget at around 50,000 yuan, or approximately $7,000, per film.
