Dubai: Tunisian filmmaker Zoubeir Jlassi has won the world’s largest AI Film Award for his movie Lily, receiving a $1 million prize from Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum during the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai.
The award, organised in collaboration with Google Gemini, is part of the summit’s fourth edition held from January 9 to 11 under the theme “Content for Good.” The event brought together over 15,000 creators, influencers, executives, and global experts to explore the future of content creation.
The competition received 3,500 film submissions and attracted interest from more than 30,000 participants across 116 countries. A panel of 40 experts reviewed over 400 hours of content, shortlisting 100 films for further assessment. Entries were then verified using Google Gemini to ensure at least 70% of each film was produced with generative AI. From this process, Lily emerged as the winner after public voting and final jury selection.
Lily tells the story of a lonely archivist whose life changes after a doll becomes trapped on his car bumper during a hit-and-run accident he caused. The doll serves as a spiritual link to the accident’s survivor, leading the protagonist to confront his guilt and ultimately seek redemption by confessing to the authorities and returning the doll to the injured child.
Organisers said the award aims to inspire filmmakers to use AI creatively to tell culturally connected stories that promote humanitarian values and responsible content creation.
