Before the deadline: what to check this week

PixLight 2026: a finished film or a screenplay

Final deadline · 31 Oct, 23:59 UTC / 1 Nov, 07:59 Beijing

Recorded deadline; check current entry window

Standard entry is free for individuals/teams aged 18+ worldwide, for work created on/after 1 January 2026. The Pilot Track requires 3–20 minutes including the official intro, PixVerse Canvas as the main platform, a valid Canvas link and a public full-film social post. A video file alone is insufficient.

The Script Track is for a 45–90-minute feature screenplay plus a 1–5-minute video pitch; no finished film or Canvas project is required. Scripts must be in English. Films/pitches with dialogue or narration need burned-in English subtitles, even for English speech. The US$300,000 pool is divided among 33 awards, not paid to every entrant; credit refunds have separate conditions.

PAIFF Prague: entry is separate from online screening consent

Recorded closing date · 31 Oct; cutoff time/time zone unconfirmed

Recorded deadline; check current entry window

AI features, shorts and music videos enter through the designated Festhome listing 10597. AI must play a meaningful role; prepare a landscape film, English subtitles for non-English work and cleared materials. Entry is paid. Check the detailed fee table, currency and discount eligibility; a dollar symbol alone does not establish USD or the checkout total.

The festival rules and designated listing currently both require a separate written A/B/C choice per film for public online screening; silence is not consent. Option C declines online screening and the Audience Award without affecting professional judging or separately authorised physical screenings, but does not revoke promotional-material permission. Completion-year wording still differs between the general field and categories. Clarify an older film’s eligibility; 28 November is the event date, not the entry deadline.

AiDOL short films: an idol can be a pet or an object

Recorded closing date · 3 Nov; do not copy the image contest’s 23:59

Recorded deadline; check current entry window

An original AI short of 1–3 minutes, landscape 16:9 MP4, one film per person, with free choice of tools. The idol theme is broader than a singing celebrity: the site explicitly mentions pets, toys and even snacks. Live action or animation is allowed. The short-film and AI-image contests are separate; their tags and next steps are not interchangeable.

Follow the short-film instructions to post on X with #AiDOLショートフィルム, a title and introduction, then send the official form. An X post alone does not complete entry. Film-entry fees, exact cutoff time, full age/territory eligibility and publication permissions remain unconfirmed. Free audience tickets do not establish free entry. Check other premiere commitments before posting the film.

PixLight’s 10 November BTS date does not extend film entry

The main competition entry must succeed by 31 October, 23:59 UTC. Eligible entrants may then submit a public BTS-post link by 10 November, 23:59 UTC. The approved bonus is 20,000 credits, not a cash award; both tracks may apply, once per creator. Do not wait until 10 November to enter the competition.

MIFF’s 31 October date ends a fee round, not the entire call

The 2027 international-short standard fees are USD 50/65/75/85/95 for rounds ending 31 October, 30 November, 31 December, 31 January and 16 February. This issue records the first round; check the current fee later rather than treating USD 50 as a permanent rate. Final entry closes on 16 February 2027 at 23:59 PST.

Acceptance of AI animation does not remove the Victorian-premiere requirement. The regulations and FAQ also differ on eligible completion years. Check release history and completion date before rushing for a cheaper fee round.

AI in Anime: resolve the 2–30 vs 3–20-minute conflict before paying

On the same designated entry page, general rules say 2–30 minutes while the Anime category says 3–20. A film under three or over 20 minutes cannot establish eligibility by citing only the wider range. Other films should clarify credit timing, release history and permissions too. Fees are non-refundable; do not pay merely to test eligibility before receiving clarification.

Will Keeper: three workflow points from a tool partner

Added to our resources on 28 October: a public MiniMaxDesign post describes agent-assisted visual research, canvas-timeline generation/editing, and custom skills for batch image processing and consistent aspect ratios. The film page summarises these points; the source link supports verification.

This is a tool partner’s account, not our own scene analysis. The attached video has not been reviewed for spoken content, and a full-film source is unconfirmed. The partner’s roughly 1:55 clip is not the approximately seven-minute film.

Roped: the 35-second behind-the-scenes film imagines a film set

Added on 28 October: Cokau Lab’s original 35-second behind-the-scenes resource. Its Devpost description frames it as a playful reconstruction of a set that never existed. It is useful as a creative promotional format, not a documentary record of the film’s production.

The film page separates the full film, production notes and this short extra. Freepik and Midjourney are named for the behind-the-scenes project; they are not presented as the complete toolchain for the main film.

CLOSET: the official full film runs 07:13

On 28 October, metadata from CLOSET’s player in CapCut’s official awards gallery established a runtime of 07:13, distinct from the homepage preview. The existing official full-film link is retained; this is not claimed as a newly discovered viewing source.

Watch the work, then use its detail page to check the creator and award evidence. This update checked the player and runtime, not every scene; it does not invent production lessons or an acceptance speech.