CINEMA IS SEARCHING FOR A NEW FORM. FIND IT. 

 Europe produces about 3,400 feature films a year—more than ever before. And never before have so many of them disappeared almost immediately after their release. We have no shortage of talent, money, or film festivals. What’s missing is an ecosystem in which a film lives on beyond its premiere. What’s missing is a new way of building a relationship between the film and the audience. For over a century, the screen spoke and the audience listened. Today, thanks to artificial intelligence, for the first time we can ask a different question: 

— What happens when the screen starts to listen?
— Can a film respond to the viewer?
— Can a conversation become part of the story?
— Can the end credits be the beginning, rather than the end, of the experience? 

No one knows the answer. That’s why Microsoft and Lenovo, in collaboration with the Film Spring Open Foundation, are organizing a hackathon “Cinema is looking for a new form. Find it.” We’re not looking for just another AI tool. We’re looking for a new form of cinema. Over the course of three days, teams of filmmakers and developers will work together to explore how artificial intelligence can transform the relationship between the audience and the story. We’re looking for teams that will design and build prototypes of new ways for the audience to engage with a story—using both local and cloud-based AI models. We realize that in three days, we won’t produce finished projects, only their concepts. That’s why one of the Hackathon’s most important goals is not only to seek out new ideas but also to create interdisciplinary teams that will continue to develop them after the event concludes. 

Why Us?

 
For over twenty years, Film Spring Open has been a meeting place for filmmakers, game developers, AI specialists, and experts in new technologies. Every year, several hundred participants work together to test new tools and new ways of telling stories. That’s why the Hackathon won’t be detached from reality. The best ideas will be tested by filmmakers during future Film Spring Open events. We’re not looking for presentations. We’re looking for ideas that have the potential to change the way we experience audiovisual works. 

What We're Looking For 

A finished product won’t be created in three days—but something even more valuable might emerge: a credible idea that has been tested in practice. We’re looking for prototypes that demonstrate how AI can create a new kind of relationship between the viewer and an audiovisual work. The Hackathon’s greatest success won’t be the most advanced code. It will be an idea that, after the event, is worth further developing and testing with a real audience. Cinema is searching for a new form. Find it. 

Sławomir Idziak 

Film Spring Open Foundation 

Technology Partners – Microsoft, Lenovo 

 The Hackathon partners are Microsoft and Lenovo. They will provide participants with the latest AI tools that run both locally on Copilot+ PCs and in the Azure AI Foundry cloud. Teams will be able to use pre-trained language and computer vision models, speech recognition, image generation, and other services available in the Windows AI Foundry ecosystem. Mentors from the partner companies will help teams select the right technologies for © Film Spring Open 2026 2 

implementing specific ideas. We do not expect participants to be familiar with the entire technology stack before the hackathon begins. What matters is the idea and the ability to build a compelling prototype. Detailed technical documentation and recommended development environments will be provided to participants before work begins.