“Bee With Me”, from South Korea, wins the first CAIS – CloudWalk International AI Shorts Festival
The film, which combines a contemplative narrative with visuals generated by artificial intelligence, tells the story of an ecology professor who finds comfort in the solitude of his beekeeping routine
São Paulo, November 2025 – The South Korean short film “Bee With Me”, directed by Emile Pison, was the big winner of the first edition of the CAIS – CloudWalk AI Shorts Festival. The awards ceremony took place last Friday (14) at the headquarters of CloudWalk, the global technology company behind the brands InfinitePay and JIM.com, in São Paulo.
The film, which combines a contemplative narrative with visuals generated by artificial intelligence, tells the story of an ecology professor who finds comfort in the solitude of his beekeeping routine. The work captivated the jury for its aesthetic delicacy and reflection on nature, isolation, and humanity — universal themes translated through the language of AI.
Second place went to the short film “Princess Wencheng”, by Chinese director Xuan Yang, which reinterprets the journey of one of the most emblematic female figures in ancient Chinese history, blending mythology, fiction, and visual poetry. Third place was awarded to “Dark, Light, Yellow”, by Spanish filmmaker Fran Gas, an audiovisual essay on the psychology of color and the birth of “yellow” as a symbolic character.
In addition to the official jury prizes, the event opened voting for the Audience Award. The winning film, chosen from among the 15 finalists, was A Breath Apart, a film that tells the story of apoetic short about resilience, and the unseen bond between two souls. As a man battles cancer, he meets a child on a surreal battlefield where life and beyond intertwine.
A festival that blends art, algorithm, and immersive experiences
Created by CloudWalk Studios, the CAIS has already established itself in its first edition as one of the most important international short film festivals made with artificial intelligence in Brazil.
“With more than 1,200 films submitted from over 100 countries, the debut exceeded expectations. Of this total, 15 short films were selected for in-person and online screenings, revealing how AI tools are being used in increasingly sophisticated narratives — from image generation and soundtracks to screenwriting and editing,” says Ricardo Mordoch, Head of Audiovisual at CloudWalk Studios.
In addition to the awards, the event featured several hands-on AI activations, where attendees could experiment with generative image and video models, and the presence of a humanoid robot developed by CloudWalk, which was part of the festival’s reception team, interacting with guests and providing information about the films.
Another highlight of the evening was the premiere of the short film “Arnaldo Had an Idea”, a brand-new production by CloudWalk Studios, developed entirely with artificial intelligence tools. The film, which mixes humor and reflection, was presented as a demonstration of the creative potential of the company’s audiovisual division.
“CAIS is more than a festival — it’s a living laboratory exploring the encounter between human sensitivity and artificial intelligence,” says Mordoch. “In every film, we saw technology become poetry, art… cinema. These are works that question the role of the creator while reaffirming the human presence as the essence of the creative process.”
The festival’s finalists painted a global portrait of creative production with AI, with themes ranging from technological dystopias to existential dramas, poetic essays, and visual experiments. Among them were productions from Azerbaijan, Tunisia, India, Chile, Ukraine, Iran, the United States, Italy, and Brazil.
The 15 finalist films of CAIS 2025 were: Bee With Me (South Korea), by Emile Pison; Princess Wencheng (China), by Xuan Yang; Dark, Light, Yellow (Spain), by Fran Gas; The Motherland (Azerbaijan), by Aisha Hajiyeva; What Remains (USA/Venezuela), by Vadim Lasca; Carousel (Argentina/Italy/Spain), by Andres Aloi; A Breath Apart (Tunisia), by Zoubeir Jlassi; Liminal Tides (China), by Ye Pinxuan; PEACH (India), by Dhaval Shah and Nishtha Shailajan; Not Chosen (Chile), by Javier Andrés Marro; RETURN (South Korea), by Sangyeob Oh; The Conclave (Spain), by Federico Luglio; The Way (Ukraine), by Vova Pridorohin; SHEPHERD (Iran), by Alborz Poursayad; and Lens Wide Open (Australia), by Bruce Hunt.
CAIS Room, the streaming platform for AI-driven cinema
Closing the festival, CloudWalk Studios announced CAIS Room, a streaming platform dedicated to independent cinema made with artificial intelligence.
CAIS Room debuts featuring the 15 finalist films from the festival, available for free. The initiative aims to foster technology-driven filmmaking, offering a space of visibility for new directors, artists, and producers who explore the creative frontiers of AI in audiovisual storytelling.
“We want CAIS Room to become a home for those who believe that artificial intelligence can also be an artistic language,” says Mordoch. “Our purpose is to expand access, connect creative communities, and inspire a new generation of filmmakers to use AI as a tool for expression.”
