Anyone, anywhere. Entrants didn't have to live in the country they competed for — they picked the nation they wanted to represent and registered.

No. The replay channel is open to everyone, no account needed. A free Machine Cinema account gets you the rest of the Hub — the community feed, events, and perks.

No — registration closed with the competition. All four rounds have been played and Poland took the Cup. Every film is up on the replay channel.

Nothing. The Director's Cup was free to enter, and watching the films is free too.

Registration demand decided it. We opened registration to everyone, watched which countries showed the strongest turnout, and locked the final sixteen from there on July 7. Several countries that weren't on the opening list earned a place by showing up.

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.

Up to four live sessions — four hours each through the semifinals, and one special 24-hour window for the Final. Each round was one session: entrants made their films and submitted before the clock ran out, with nothing to attend between rounds.

Short-form AI storytelling: films made live, in timed GenJam sessions, to each round's brief in OpenArt. The Final's theme was revealed live when its 24-hour clock started.

No. Everyone registered as an individual. When a country's match started, project teams formed during the session: bring a crew, self-organize on the spot, or get sorted into one. Solo films counted too.

Poland. The judging panel scored the Final's films from Indonesia and Poland, and Poland's lineup ranked higher — Poland takes the Cup, with Indonesia runner-up. The Final's podium films are on the replay channel.

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.

More people meant more teams and more films, and a deeper pool made for a stronger top three. Every entrant who turned up for their country's match improved the lineup the judges ranked against the other nation.

Everyone advanced. A win sent the whole country through — every participant returned to represent it in the next round, not just the people behind the top three films.