Cinema St. Louis has adopted its first formal policy governing the use of artificial intelligence in films submitted to its festivals, marking the end of a months‑long conversation that began with the screening of an AI‑generated short at this year’s St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase.
The new rules, announced Aug. 27, will apply to submissions beginning in 2027 for all Cinema St. Louis programs, including the St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase and the St. Louis International Film Festival. The policy allows AI only as a support tool and prohibits the use of generative AI to create any portion of a film’s creative content. Filmmakers will also be required to disclose any AI use during the submission process.
Emmett Williams, Festival Curation & Education Director for Cinema St. Louis, said the policy was shaped directly by conversations with filmmakers and community members.
“The policy is intended to distinguish between assistive applications — such as certain visual‑effects, editing, or post‑production tools — and the use of generative AI to create substantial portions of a film’s creative content, which the policy prohibits,” Williams said.
The discussion began after the July screening of Anomaly, a 12‑minute science‑fiction short by St. Louis filmmaker Jack Snyder. Snyder wrote the screenplay and collaborated with human performers on voice work and editing, but used generative AI to create the film’s visual imagery. The decision prompted debate among local filmmakers, including one who withdrew their film from the Showcase in protest.
Cinema St. Louis responded by hosting a public screening of Anomaly on July 25 at the Hi‑Pointe Theatre, followed by a panel discussion featuring Snyder; Sarah Fowler, chief counsel for SAG‑AFTRA; and Paul Hibbard, director of Hysteria Fest. Williams also held individual conversations with filmmakers before and after the event.
“Our AI policy grew out of these discussions — and a whole lot of coffee,” Williams said. “I wanted to hear directly from the film community, including filmmakers who felt strongly that AI had no place in their work and others who acknowledged that they could not make their films without it. Both perspectives were important in shaping the policy.”
Under the new rules, a film like Anomaly would not be eligible for selection. Snyder said he understands the decision and views the film as an experiment in exploring what AI could do.
He also shared that Anomaly has opened a new door: the project has received an offer for initial funding toward a feature‑length version that will use real actors rather than AI‑generated characters.
“I’m grateful that Anomaly helped start a serious conversation about where AI belongs in filmmaking,” Snyder said. “I’m excited about the possibility of exploring the story through the work of real actors and other filmmakers.”
Williams said the policy reflects Cinema St. Louis’ effort to respond thoughtfully to a rapidly evolving issue.
“This is probably not the final word on AI and filmmaking,” he said. “It is our effort to respond thoughtfully to a complicated issue by listening to the people in our community and applying what we learned to the festivals we present.”
The policy will not affect the 2026 St. Louis International Film Festival, which runs Nov. 5–15, because the selection process was already underway before the announcement.