The online tournament for AI storytelling.
How it works
16 countries compete in a series of GenJams. A GenJam is a four-hour sprint: you get one brief, and your team has four hours to come up with a story and build an AI film around it. It's a live test of how fast you can think, write, and create under the clock. You make it and submit the same day.
Teams
You don't do this alone. Register, then form a team and take on the brief together. It's built to be collaborative, so bring people you want to create with.
Here's the catch
Only the 16 countries with the most sign-ups make the bracket. Registering yourself isn't enough. Get your friends to sign up too. If your country doesn't have the numbers, it doesn't get in, and neither do you.
Over four weeks, countries go head to head in live knockout rounds until one is left holding the Cup. Up to four live sessions, four hours each. Submit the same day, results the same day.
July 7 · 8:00 AM PT · Live on Luma
Opening Ceremony
The bracket goes live and the tournament officially begins. Be there for the reveal.
RSVP on Luma
16
Nations
4
Knockout rounds
4h
Per live session
1
Champion
Countries lock & bracket reveal July 7 · Rounds July 10 – Aug 2
How it works
The tournament
The Director's Cup is a month-long, fully online tournament. You pick the country you represent, you make films, and you advance or you go home. It's straight knockout: sixteen nations, single elimination, one champion.
Every matchup is a head-to-head. Two countries go in, one comes out. Win your match and you move toward the final; lose, and your run is over. The whole run costs at most four live sessions: one four-hour match per round, with nothing to attend in between.
Single elimination · Round of 16 to the Final
- 1Jul 10–12
Round of 16
Sixteen countries, eight matchups. Half get eliminated.
- 2Jul 17–19
Quarterfinals
The final eight fight for a spot in the semis.
- 3Jul 24–26
Semifinals
Four left. Two tickets to the final.
- 4Jul 31–Aug 2
Final
Two nations, one weekend, one Cup.
When your country is in a match, you show up live. Everyone joins the same online session, project teams form on the spot (or you fly solo), then the brief drops and the clock starts: four hours to write, generate, edit, and ship your film in OpenArt. No weeks of prep, no pre-made entries. The same brief, the same four hours, everyone at once. When time's up, you submit, and the judges' results land the same day.
Each session is hosted online and worldwide, and you can follow your country's match live. One session per round is the entire commitment. Go all the way and you'll have played exactly four.
A GenJam is Machine Cinema's flagship creative hackathon for AI storytelling: one brief, one clock, made live.
Everyone who shows up competes. Project teams form during the live session: bring a crew, self-organize on the spot, or get sorted into one. Solo films count too. A country enters as many films as it has teams.
When the four hours are up, our judging panel scores every film. Each country's three highest-scoring films become its lineup, and the panel ranks the two lineups head to head. The higher-ranked country advances, the other is out. Those top three films also earn the round's credits.
Every film is scored on five criteria
- 1Concept, idea & story
- 2AI technique, craft & execution
- 3Visuals & aesthetics
- 4Cinematography & editing
- 5Overall impact & impression
Win, and the whole country advances. Every participant returns to represent it in the next round, not just the top three teams.
The draw
The bracket
Sixteen nations, one knockout tree. The field locks July 7. Until then, every matchup is up for grabs.
Title sponsor
Who we are
OpenArt is a leading AI production platform with access to all major models. From day one, it has been a tool for everyone to tell their stories.
Aligned with this tournament, OpenArt just launched Director, a new creative product introducing an entirely new category: vibe directing.
Prize pool
Credits & prizes
$35K
Total prize value
$2,400 cash + OpenArt credits every round + 10,000 credits to every entrant.
10,000 OpenArt credits to every participant, upfront.
Champion cash
1st $1,000
2nd $800
3rd $600
The Final's three winning films take the cash.
Win the
Round of 16
25,000
credits
Win the
Quarterfinals
50,000
credits
Win the
Semifinals
100,000
credits
Win the
Final
200,000
credits
Each round, a matchup's top 3 films advance and earn the round's credits.
Take part
How to participate
Show up, build live, submit, share. One four-hour session per round, with same-day results.
- 1Join your country's live GenJam session
- 2Build your film in OpenArt Director within the 4-hour window
- 3Submit your video link to Machine Cinema before time's up
- 4Post it publicly with the OpenArt logo, #DirectorsCup, and tag OpenArt + Machine Cinema
Refer 10 friends who register and earn a bonus 10,000 OpenArt credits.
Register, then share your link. Every entrant pushes your country up the board.
The field
Sign up to represent your country
This isn't the final list. These are the nations with the most interest so far. Don't see your country? Register, rally your friends to join you, and the countries with the most supporters make the bracket. Countries lock July 7.
- 🇺🇸United States
- 🇨🇦Canada
- 🇧🇷Brazil
- 🇲🇽Mexico
- 🇫🇷France
- 🇮🇹Italy
- 🇪🇸Spain
- 🇵🇱Poland
- 🇩🇪Germany
- 🇬🇧UK
- 🇦🇪UAE
- 🇦🇺Australia
- 🇮🇳India
- 🇨🇳China
- 🇰🇷Korea
- 🇯🇵Japan
Schedule
How the four weeks run
Each round plays out over its weekend window. Exact match times are set with each matchup's countries after the bracket reveal, since the field spans time zones.
- Jul 7
Countries lock
Registration closes and the final sixteen countries are set by demand.
- Jul 7
Opening ceremony & bracket reveal
The final sixteen and the opening bracket go live, live on Luma at 8:00 AM PT. RSVP
- Jul 7
Workshop & masterclass
Online and recorded, so you can catch up if you miss it. Time and Luma link coming soon.
- Jul 10–12
Round of 16
Eight head-to-head matchups across the bracket. Exact match times are set with each pairing after the reveal.
- Jul 17–19
Quarterfinals
The final eight.
- Jul 24–26
Semifinals
Four nations, two spots in the final.
- Jul 31–Aug 2
Finals weekend
The last two countries compete for the Cup.
Questions
Frequently asked
Who can enter?+
Anyone, anywhere. You don't have to live in the country you compete for. Pick the nation you want to represent and register.
Do I need an account?+
Yes. Registering takes a minute and it's free. You make a Machine Cinema account, tell us the country you're representing, and you're in.
When does registration close?+
Registration is open now and closes when countries lock on July 7. The final sixteen are set by demand, so lock in your country and rally others to it before then.
What does it cost?+
Nothing to register. The Director's Cup is free to enter.
How are the 16 countries chosen?+
Registration demand decides it. We open registration to everyone, watch which countries show the strongest turnout, and lock the final sixteen from there. A country that wasn't on the opening list can still earn a place by showing up.
What's a GenJam?+
GenJam is Machine Cinema's flagship event series: part workshop, part video hackathon, part showcase. 'Gen' for generative AI, 'jam' for jamming together: you learn a new AI tool and immediately use it to tell a story, whether you're a beginner picking up your first tool or a veteran racing the clock. We've run 200+ GenJams worldwide. The Director's Cup is that format built as a global tournament, with OpenArt's toolset as the official kit.
How much time does it take?+
Up to four live sessions, four hours each. That's the entire tournament. Each round is one session: you make your film, submit before the clock runs out, and the judges' results land the same day. Nothing happens between rounds that you have to attend, so a run to the final is four sessions across four weekends.
What will I be making?+
Short-form AI storytelling. You'll make a film live, in a four-hour GenJam session, to that round's brief in OpenArt. The themes and prompts are finalized and announced with the bracket.
Do I have to be online at a specific time?+
Yes. Each match is a live, four-hour GenJam you join online. Every round plays out over a weekend window (the Round of 16 is July 10–12), and each match's exact time is set with its two countries after the bracket reveal, so you can plan around it. The workshop is recorded, but the matches themselves are live, and they're the only thing you need to show up for.
Do I need a team?+
No. You register as an individual. When your country's match starts, project teams form during the session: bring a crew, self-organize on the spot, or get sorted into a team. Solo films count too, and existing teams can stay together or mix.
Who actually makes the films?+
Everyone who shows up. Every registered member of a country who joins the live session competes, and each team (or solo entrant) ships its own film. A country enters as many films as it has teams.
Where can I watch the films?+
Each match is hosted live, so you can follow your country in real time, and films from every round are showcased on Machine Cinema's and OpenArt's channels.
Is it really all online?+
Completely. Every round runs online and worldwide, with each matchup hosted as its own live GenJam session you can follow.
How are matches judged?+
A judging panel scores every film on five criteria: concept & story, AI technique & execution, visuals & aesthetics, cinematography & editing, and overall impact. Each country's three highest-scoring films form its lineup; the panel ranks the two lineups and the higher-ranked country advances. Those three films also earn the round's credits.
Only three films count, so why rally a big squad?+
Two reasons. Before the bracket: the sixteen countries are picked by registration turnout, so numbers get your country in. During it: more people means more teams and more films, and a deeper pool makes for a stronger top three.
What happens when my country wins its match?+
Everyone advances. A win sends the whole country through. Every participant returns to represent it in the next round, not just the people behind the top three films.
Can I use any music or footage?+
Everything in your film must be yours to use: AI-generated, original, or properly licensed/royalty-free. No copyrighted music or footage you don't have rights to. By entering, you confirm you own your submission and grant Machine Cinema and OpenArt the right to show it as part of the tournament.
What tools can I use?+
Films must be created with OpenArt. Director is the official tool of the Director's Cup, and that's what your credits are for. Your film also needs to feature the OpenArt logo creatively. Briefs and any per-round specifics ship before the Round of 16.
Don't just watch, compete
Represent your nation
Registration is free and open to everyone, anywhere, and competing takes just one four-hour session per round. Claim your country before countries lock on July 7.
The GenJam Director's Cup is presented by Machine Cinema with OpenArt as title sponsor.