Key Facts:
- The OMNI International AI Film Festival has announced acclaimed director Alex Proyas (*I, Robot*) as a lead judge for its upcoming edition, Hyperphantasia, which will premiere in Sydney in July 2026 following previous screenings across Australia and internationally.
- The festival's theme is inspired by hyperphantasia, a neurological condition affecting 1-3% of the population characterised by exceptionally vivid mental imagery, challenging creators to push the boundaries of imagination and generative filmmaking.
- Filmmakers worldwide are invited to submit AI-generated films ranging from one minute to four hours in length, with a minimum of 90% AI-generated visual content; entries close 9 June 2026, with over 8,000 submissions already anticipated.
- For the first time, the festival will offer cash prizes across multiple categories, including Best Picture, Best Visuals, Best Score, Best Script, and the newly introduced OMNI Golden and Silver AI Performance awards - the first of their kind to recognise outstanding AI performances.
- The festival is presented by Envato, a Shutterstock subsidiary and global creative technology platform, with previous jury members including Disney and DreamWorks animator Yan Chen and *Mad Max* director George Miller's involvement in the previous edition.
The OMNI International AI Film Festival announces their Jury today, led by acclaimed director Alex Proyas, best known for directing I, Robot, who will serve as a judge for OMNI "Hyperphantasia" - presented by Envato. The festival's third major iteration will premiere in Sydney in July 2026, following recent screenings across Australia and internationally in China, Japan, India and the United States.
Proyas is one of cinema's most distinctive voices at the intersection of technology and human imagination. His career has long asked what it means to be human in a world reshaped by artificial intelligence, making him a natural choice to judge the works that generative filmmaking's most ambitious creators will bring to the screen.
OMNI's newest festival is inspired by the phenomenon of hyperphantasia, a neurological condition affecting roughly 1–3% of the population, characterised by mental imagery so vivid it rivals real-world perception. For this edition, it serves as both an aesthetic benchmark and poses the question: What becomes possible when the barriers between imagination and image collapse entirely?
"Hyperphantasia is a challenge as much as it is a theme," said Travis Rice, Founder of OMNI International AI Film Festival. "We are asking creators to work at the edge of what they can imagine and then go further. The films that rise to the top will change how people think, and how these creators are working with emerging tools to create a new form of cinema."
OMNI has quickly established itself as the leading international festival dedicated to AI cinema. The festival has built a global community of thousands of creative storytellers experimenting at the frontier of generative imagery.
The involvement of Proyas joins following legendary Mad Max and Furiosa director George Miller's involvement in the last Festival iteration, OMNI 1.0 in November of 2025, indicating the industry is partially open to exploring how AI cinema is emerging as a new medium of filmmaking and storytelling. Previous editions have featured Disney and DreamWorks animator Yan Chen, and award-winning artist, Jonathan Zawada on the jury, with another stellar lineup set to be revealed ahead of the July screening.
A global call for entries of AI-generated films is now open for Hyperphantasia, with the festival already on track to receive more than 5,000 entries. The festival invites filmmakers, creators and the AI curious worldwide to submit works between one minute and four hours in length, with a minimum of 90% AI-generated visual content. Submissions are unrestricted by model, software, or technology, with the sole criteria being compelling human crafted storytelling and extraordinary visuals.
OMNI 1.5 is the first edition to offer cash prizes for AI Filmmakers, with awards across: HYPERPHANTASIA Best Picture, Signal to Noise, The Envato Pattern Recognition Award recognising the most creative fusion of stock, AI and cinematic intent, Best Visuals, Best Score, Best Editing, Best Script, and the new OMNI Golden and Silver AI Performance categories, the first awards of their kind to recognise exceptional AI performances.
OMNI 1.5, Hyperphantasia is presented by Envato, a global leader in creative technology and a Shutterstock subsidiary, empowering millions of creative professionals with the world's broadest range of commercial-ready stock assets alongside purpose-built AI capabilities.
"From our first conversation with OMNI, what stood out wasn't just the quality of the films, it was the intent behind them," said Arlyn Panopio, Head of Brand and Creative at Envato.
"Hyperphantasia shifts the focus to what it really takes to push an idea further: bringing to life a vision that exists only in your imagination. That kind of creative obsession is the conversation we wanted to be part of."
Entries close June 9 2026. For more details, visit: https://www.omnifilmfestival.com/hyperphantasia
About us:
About OMNI International AI Film Festival
The OMNI AI Film Festival is the Southern Hemisphere's first International AI Film Festival and the leading global community celebrating cinematic generative filmmaking. Founded by Aryeh Sternberg and Travis Rice in 2024, OMNI provides a global platform for creators to explore the intersection of technology and storytelling, as a global celebration of creativity, culture, and machine intelligence. OMNI exists to advance the cultural conversation around generative AI as a serious and rapidly evolving medium for storytelling.
