FFC Cottbus: 147 Films and One Entirely Made with AI

TVS News AI, editorially supervised, presents FFC Cottbus: 147 Films and One Entirely Made with AI.

The coverage from November 3, 2026 announces the start of the 36th Cottbus Film Festival: A total of 147 films are on the program, including the first fully AI-generated film. For film enthusiasts, this year’s edition is therefore interesting in two main respects: its international film selection and the question of how AI is changing the film production process.

The festival combines films from Latvia and Montenegro with the AI-project. The focus is therefore not only on the traditional question of how the program is put together, but also on the new reality of production: A film can be created entirely with artificial intelligence without requiring a screenplay or a single camera shot for the images shown.

The first report already highlights the 147 films and the AI film in its headline. The Tagesspiegel/dpa report adds details about the 36th edition and the films from Latvia and Montenegro.

147 Films Mark the Start of the 36th Edition

The size of the program

With 147 films, the FFC offers a remarkable selection. The two reports do not provide a breakdown by competition, genre or special programs. It would therefore go too far to infer specific priorities from the total. What is certain is: Many films from Latvia and Montenegro are part of the 36th edition.

This gives the edition a clear international character. For you as a visitor, that is the most tangible aspect of the news: Alongside the AI film, a broad international film selection awaits. The reports do not reveal exactly which works will be represented or when they can be seen.

A Fully AI-Generated Film Is on the Program for the First Time

AI as a film-production tool

According to the sources, the most striking item on the program is a fully AI-generated film. This means that the images were created with the help of artificial intelligence. This distinguishes the entry from productions in which AI merely supports individual elements.

Curtain up for the 36th edition of the Cottbus Film Festival (FFC). Film enthusiasts can experience many films from Latvia and Montenegro – and, for the first time, a fully AI-generated film.

The reports give neither the title nor the content, running time or production story of the AI film. Nor do they explain whether its entirely AI-based production plays a central role at the festival or during pre-production. The distinctive feature of its place in the program is clear: The FFC is showing a fully AI-generated film for the first time.

The festival thus becomes the setting for a concrete debate. The issue is not whether to treat AI as an abstract topic for the future, but what a film feels like in cinemas when the images shown have been created with artificial intelligence.

International Films Meet a New Form of Production

Two levels of the program

The two standout elements can be viewed side by side. On the one hand, many films from Latvia and Montenegro are on the program. On the other, the festival is presenting a fully AI-generated film for the first time. Both broaden the perspective on film: first on the works’ cultural and regional roots, and then on their technical origins.

The figures and descriptions in the sources match. Both reports refer to 147 films and a fully AI-generated film. The Tagesspiegel report additionally states that this is the 36th edition of the FFC and that films from Latvia and Montenegro are represented.

What the Reports Still Leave Unanswered About the AI Film

More details are needed

Despite its prominence in the program, the AI film remains something of a blank canvas in the available reports: Its existence is clear, but its concrete form is not. There are no details about the film, its plot, genre, length or the tools used. Neither source includes an explanation of the festival’s accompanying program or any assessment of the production costs.

For putting the festival’s opening into context, this means: 147 films and one AI title are confirmed. Anyone who wants to know more about the individual project or the festival’s exact schedule will need further program information beyond the two reports available here.

The FFC Makes the Change Visible

In its 36th edition, the Cottbus Film Festival combines international filmmaking with a clearly identified technical innovation. The festival is not only showing films from two European countries, but, for the first time, also a work whose images were created entirely with the help of AI.

The festival’s opening therefore provides a clear answer to the question of what makes the coming edition special: 147 films, a broad international selection and, for the first time, a fully AI-generated film on the program. For everyone who wants to see what artificial intelligence looks like in practice in film, this is the most eye-catching element of the 36th edition.