European Microdrama Association

Europe’s first professional trade association dedicated to the micro-drama sector. It connects creators, production companies, platforms, and industry resources, and promotes the standardisation, professionalisation, and international cooperation of Europe’s micro-drama industry.

MINI CLAP

Positioning

Established in 2025 and associated with the European Microdrama Association, MINI CLAP is Europe’s first micro-drama brand dedicated to the development and production of local content. Operating primarily in the European market with global distribution, MINI CLAP prioritizes European scripts and actors and manages the full production pipeline—from project incubation and production to delivery on international platforms.

Capabilities & Services

Local content development: supporting stories with clear local relevance and cultural specificity.

End-to-end production: incubation, production management, post-production, packaging, and release.

Global distribution: enabling European projects to reach international platforms and audiences.

China–Europe Industry Bridge

MINI CLAP connects the Chinese and European micro-drama industries through structured training and hands-on projects. By leveraging proven experience in micro-drama production and distribution in China, MINI CLAP supports European creators and teams in integrating into the global micro-drama ecosystem—accelerating talent growth, enabling cross-border partnerships, and opening new business opportunities in Europe.

Elliot Grove

Jury Member

Elliot Grove

Elliot Grove is one of the most influential figures in British independent cinema. He is the founder of the Raindance Film Festival, the founder of Raindance Film School, as well as a producer, screenwriter and film educator. Since founding Raindance in 1992, he has continuously supported the development of independent cinema in the United Kingdom and around the world, creating a platform for countless young directors and emerging creators to present their work and grow.

Raindance is the largest independent film festival in the United Kingdom and one of Europe’s most internationally influential independent film festivals. It has long focused on emerging creators, low-budget filmmaking, cross-media storytelling and innovation in the screen industries, while maintaining relationships with major international awards including the Academy Awards and BAFTA. Many internationally recognized directors and actors first gained industry attention through the Raindance platform.

Beyond running the festival, Elliot Grove has worked extensively in film education and industry training. He has published multiple books on filmmaking and has delivered lectures and courses worldwide on independent film financing, creation and distribution. He has consistently advocated for returning filmmaking to the creators themselves, encouraging filmmakers to use innovative thinking and limited resources to achieve high-quality storytelling.

As AI filmmaking and micro-drama continue to develop rapidly, Raindance has also paid close attention to the impact of artificial intelligence on independent cinema. In recent years, it has presented AI-focused industry forums, creative talks and AI-assisted shorts screenings. For example, its 2026 programme includes an AI-assisted short film screening in collaboration with CapCut, showing how creators can use new technologies to produce original short films. Through Raindance, Elliot Grove continues to discuss the impact of AI on the film industry, young creators and the future of independent cinema.

Elliot Grove’s value as a jury member lies not only in his ability to assess the artistic quality of films, but also in his deep understanding of the independent creation ecosystem, the operation of international film festivals and the global trends shaping young creators. He brings a professional perspective on emerging screen work from the angles of international industry development, audience reception and innovative storytelling.

Hadrien Gautrot

Jury Member

Hadrien Gautrot

Hadrien is an artist, educator, and entrepreneur working at the intersection of art and artificial intelligence.

He co-founded the creative studio Nicéphore, where he explores AI filmmaking and has led creative campaigns for brands including Google, SCOR, and ALTEN.

He directed 1895, an award-winning short film that received recognition from filmmaker George Miller at the Omni Film Festival.

Alongside his filmmaking, Hadrien teaches at Sciences Po and regularly speaks on AI and creativity at major industry events, including the Cannes Film Festival and the ARP Film Days (Journées cinématographiques de l’ARP).

Jean Mach

Jury Member

Jean Mach

Jean Mach is a French producer, director and screenwriter, a creator of science fiction and genre films, the founder of MAD Films, and the co-founder and CEO of the AI cinema company Inevitable. He is a member of L’ARP, the French civil society of Authors, Directors and Producers, as well as a member of the Commission Supérieure Technique de l’Image et du Son. He is among the film professionals who began exploring the industrial applications of artificial intelligence in audiovisual production relatively early. Unlike AI creators who are more focused on artistic experimentation and visual aesthetics, he is particularly interested in how artificial intelligence can optimize film production workflows, reduce production costs and shorten filmmaking timelines.

Jean Mach’s main focus is to bring AI technologies into the industrial system of cinema. Through AI-assisted creation, visual generation and production workflow optimization, he aims to create films with a high visual standard on more limited budgets, especially in science fiction and fantasy genres, which often require substantial visual effects.

Representative Work: 8th Wonderland

8th Wonderland is a science fiction film co-directed, co-written and co-produced by Jean Mach and Nicolas Alberny in 2008. It is also one of the major works of his career in traditional cinema. The film tells the story of a virtual nation made up of internet users from around the world. Its participants decide public issues through online voting and attempt to build a model of decentralized digital democracy. The work addresses themes such as digital identity, virtual society, online politics and collective action. The film was recognized at several international genre-film festivals, including the Fantasia International Film Festival in Canada, the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and the Washington Politics on Film Festival.

Philippe Muyl

Jury Member

Philippe Muyl

Philippe Muyl is one of France's most internationally acclaimed directors, renowned for a sensitive and poetic cinematic language. He was awarded the rank of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters, conferred jointly by four French ministries. Former French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius praised him as a pioneer of Franco-Chinese co-productions and the first renowned French director to come to China and film Chinese stories.

His landmark films The Butterfly and The Nightingale have been widely acclaimed by audiences and critics internationally. The Franco-Chinese co-production The Nightingale became the first co-production to represent mainland China in the competition for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

He is currently preparing his first Franco-Chinese AI-plus-live-action co-production, Dream of the White Whale. Initiated by Philippe and Huang Bo, a promotional ambassador for the Festival Croisements, during the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, the project focuses on marine ecology and whale conservation. Together with Chinese and French production teams, he has made several research and development visits to Beihai and Weizhou Island in Guangxi, China, exploring innovative ways to combine AI technology with live-action imagery.

As a frontier project in Franco-Chinese screen collaboration and technology-enabled art, filming and production are planned to begin in the second half of this year. It aims to create a film that combines ecological awareness, technological innovation and cross-cultural dialogue.

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AIME

AI Micro-Drama Europe

Competition 2026

Register Now Free entry. No work required
at registration.

Discover more ↓

AIME Competition

01

A New Stage for AI Storytelling

AIME is a European competition dedicated to AI-powered micro-drama creation and next-generation storytelling.

02

Where Creativity Meets Technology

Filmmakers, screenwriters, AI creators, and technology innovators come together to explore new narrative possibilities.

03

Designed for the Mobile-First Era

AIME focuses on vertical micro-dramas created for the new generation of digital audiences and short-form storytelling.

04

Supporting Emerging Talent

The competition aims to discover bold new voices, encourage experimentation, and support future creative collaborations.

05

Building Connections Across Industries

AIME creates bridges between creators, technology companies, production studios, and industry partners across Europe and beyond.

Key Dates

May 22

Competition Launch Registration & Submission Open

Jul 31 11:59 PM Paris Time

Registration Deadline

Aug 31 11:59 PM Paris Time

Submission Deadline

Sep

Jury Review Jury evaluation and selection process

Oct 5

Winners Announced Announcement of official results

Dec (TBA)

Awards Ceremony & Screening

Key Information

Before You Enter

Review the key requirements, submission process, and competition guidelines before entering AIME 2026. View Full Rules
How do I register and submit my work?

Step 1 Register Online
Start your entry by completing the Registration Form.
(No finished work or video file is required at this step.)

Step 2 Registration Review
The AIME team will review your registration information.

Step 3 Receive Your Submission Link
Approved participants will receive a dedicated upload link and further instructions by email within 48 hours.

Step 4 Submit Your Work
Please follow the instructions provided and upload your final work before the submission deadline.

Can I participate individually or as a team?

Both are welcome. Solo creators and teams of any size can enter. Many standout micro-dramas are made by a single person handling everything from script to final cut. AI tools are making that more possible than ever, and discovering that creative energy is exactly what AIME is here for.

Do I need professional filmmaking experience?

No. AIME welcomes creators of all backgrounds — including filmmakers, artists, students, AI enthusiasts, and first-time storytellers.

I’m new to AI video creation. Where should I start?

Start with our two-part beginner guide, How to use AI to generate videos. It introduces a simple path from first steps to creating your own AI-generated video.

Are there any theme or genre restrictions?

No. All genres and themes are welcome, including sci-fi, romance, thriller, fantasy, urban stories, and more.

What are the format and duration requirements?

Entries must be vertical (9:16) short films designed for mobile viewing, with a total running time of more than 2 minutes and less than 3 minutes.

Is posting the poster on social media required?

Yes. All participants must post the official poster on social media and tag @mini_clap (Instagram or TikTok).
This is a mandatory requirement for participation. Eligible posts are also considered for the Best Poster Award.
The poster is required to be 1000 × 1000 px and must be published before Monday, 31 August 2026, 24:00 (Paris time) (23:59:59).

Are animated works accepted?

At this stage, only AI live-action style works are eligible. Animated formats (2D/3D) are currently not accepted.

Can I use any AI tools?

Yes. Participants are free to use any AI tools or creative workflows, provided they comply with applicable laws and platform terms of use.

Can I submit works in any language?

Yes. Works may be submitted in any language, but English subtitles are mandatory.

Can I register first and submit later?

Yes. Registration and final submission have separate deadlines, allowing participants to upload their work at a later stage.

How many entries can I submit?

Individuals and teams can submit up to 3 works, giving you room to enter with more than one idea. The same work cannot be entered into multiple main categories simultaneously.

Do I keep the rights to my work?

Yes. Creators retain ownership of their works. By participating, entrants authorize the organizer to use excerpts for promotion, screening, evaluation, and communication purposes.

Are there any mandatory opening or labeling requirements?

Yes. Each episode must begin with the official opening title provided by the organizers, and submitted works must include the required AI transparency labeling.

Where can I read the full rules?

View View Full Rules

first AI scene in minutes

New to AI video creation? This two-part beginner guide walks you through the essential steps for creating your first AI-generated video.

AIME 2026

Elliot Grove

Jury Member

Elliot Grove

Leading figure in British independent cinema
Hadrien Gautrot

Jury Member

Hadrien Gautrot

French AI filmmaker and visual artist
Jean Mach

Jury Member

Jean Mach

French producer, director and screenwriter
Philippe Muyl

Jury Member

Philippe Muyl

Internationally renowned French director and screenwriter

AIME Competition

Grand Prize €10,000

Category Awards

€1,000 prize per category

  • Best AI Innovation Award
  • Best Screenplay Award
  • Jury Special Award
  • Best Poster Award

*

Selected outstanding creators may be invited to discuss post-competition development and production collaborations with MINI CLAP and partner companies, subject to mutual agreement.

AIME

Get in Touch

Questions, partnerships, press inquiries or festival participation — we’d love to hear from you.

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Organizers

AIME — Europe’s Premier AI Micro-Drama Creative Competition

A platform where “ME” is powered by AI — and every creator becomes the author of micro-drama stories.

A new form of audiovisual storytelling, that empowers the next generation of creators.

An incubator for emerging voices and experimental narratives in the age of AI.