AI Filmmaking Hack-a-Thon
Where AI Meets Storytelling
6 hours.
1 film.
Endless
possibilities.
Powered by human creativity.
Enhanced by AI.
The EXNW AI Filmmaking Hack-a-Thon is a 6-hour, in-person filmmaking competition in which Teams use AI tools (e.g., Runway, Pika, Kling, MidJourney, ElevenLabs, Suno, etc.) to conceive, produce, and deliver a completed short film — all within a single day.
No prior AI experience is required; creativity and teamwork are the only prerequisites.
EXNW AI Filmmaking Hack-a-thon — Free Webinar Series
Get hack-a-thon-ready with three free sessions leading up to July 24. On July 9, Jagger Waters and Charles from Intangible AI explore how to keep a human creative voice at the center of AI-assisted storytelling. On July 16, Brogan Wassell and Charles return for a hands-on look at AI production workflows — tools, process, and a live platform demo — to get teams pipeline-ready. And on July 20, Renjie from the Montreal AI Ethics Institute and Habib Zagarpour open the series with a conversation on consent, authorship, and what responsible AI filmmaking actually looks like in practice.
All sessions are free and open to the public — register for any or all three.
Webinar 1
AI + Storytelling
July 9 · 5:30pm PST
Jagger Waters and Charles from Intangible AI dig into the question every AI filmmaker is quietly wrestling with: when the tools can generate the images, the voices, and the scenes, where does the human story live? A practical, experience-led session on keeping your creative voice intact while working at the speed AI makes possible. Free, open to the public.
Speakers:
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Jagger Waters
Jagger Waters is a multidisciplinary AI creator, writer and producer with over a decade of experience across film, audio, live events, and digital storytelling. As an early adopter at the forefront of AI-driven video production, her work has been recognized by SXSW, the Sundance Institute, VidCon, Adobe, Cannes, Producers Guild of America, Forbes, and the Television Academy. For commercial AI work, she is repped by MC&V in Australia. More+
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Habib Zargarpour
Habib has been nominated for two Academy Awards and won two BAFTAs for his work on Twister and The Perfect Storm. Habib invented the Virtual Production System used by Jon Favreau on The Jungle Book and by Spielberg on Ready Player One. His film credits include Ant-Man and the Wasp Quantumania, Blade Runner 2049, Star Wars: Episode I- The Phantom Menace, Greyhound, and Star Trek: First Contact. He deploys AI and real-time techniques for film making and combines his experience in film and real time engines to bring their benefits to Virtual Production. His visual effects career included developing groundbreaking effects while at Industrial Light & Magic, Electronic Arts, and as Director of Visuals for XBox Publishing at Microsoft. He is on the executive board of the VFX Branch of the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, BAFTA, and a founding member of the Visual Effects Society. Habib is head of Virtual Production at USC’s School of Cinematic Arts and the George Méliès Endowed Chair in Visual Effects. More+
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Setareh Samandari
Setareh Samandari is a dynamic and visionary writer, director, producer, and VFX Supervisor, celebrated for her rich and diverse contributions to film, visual effects, and activism. As the Founder of Interdimensional VFX and the Head of Production, she leads with innovation and creativity. Setareh is also a proud member of the Visual Effects Society (VES), reflecting her commitment to the industry and its standards. With a Master of Arts in Political Science, she has been deeply involved in human rights initiatives through the Baha'i Faith's External Affairs in Los Angeles. Her academic journey culminated in a PhD in Film and Philosophy, complemented by specialized training at the esteemed Gnomon School of Visual Effects. Author of Disruption of the Circle in Film, Language, and Other Cocoons, Setareh explores transformative themes across multiple mediums. In 2021, she directed and produced the visuals for the impactful music video "Breathe Free," leveraging cutting-edge LED screens and virtual production techniques with real-time rendering to explore themes of freedom and women's rights. As Executive Producer and Associate VFX Supervisor for Forbidden University, she played a pivotal role in crafting the film's visionary narrative. Setareh's groundbreaking series Virtues Basket debuted in 2020, showcasing her unique storytelling flair. Her VFX expertise also enriched Jack Lenz's Here Comes Love, emphasizing the Black Lives Matter movement. Her creative portfolio features directing and producing visual effects for a trio of full CG music videos inspired by the Garden of Ridvan in collaboration with renowned artists like Jack Lenz. Recently, she took on the roles of VFX Producer for Ice and the Bottom of the Sea, and VFX Supervisor for the new ETC film, Terrarium. She has also delivered stunning visual effects for films such as Glimpses, Exemplar, Dark Asset (2022), Vertical, and The Apple Tree (2024). Setareh directed Limit Exceeded (2026) inspired by her PhD research. Passionate about pioneering the creative possibilities at the intersection of visual effects, AI, and storytelling, Setareh continues to innovate and inspire with her creative endeavors. More+
Webinar 2
AI Production Workflows
July 16 · 5:30pm PST
Brogan Wassell walks through the production pipeline for AI filmmaking — tools, process, and how to move fast without losing quality — followed by a live platform demo with Charles from Intangible AI. The final session before teams take the floor at the EXNW AI Filmmaking Hackathon on July 24. Free, open to the public. Free, open to the public.
Speakers:
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Charles Migos
Charles Migos is Founder and CPO of Intangible.ai, a platform redefining how film and creative teams visualize ideas by fusing real-time 3D with generative AI. A former design leader at Apple and Unity Technologies, he has spent nearly three decades building tools and consumer products that put creative power in the hands of artists, filmmakers, and developers. He is also an inventor on over 180 patents spanning technology and systems design. More+
Intangible AI Company Info
Intangible.ai is a spatial intelligence platform that helps people tell stories in the context of the real world. By combining real-time 3D environments with generative AI, creators can build places, stage products, direct cameras, shape experiences, and visualize ideas before they’re made. Instead of generating disconnected images from prompts, Intangible allows teams to work inside persistent spaces where people, products, environments, and narratives exist together.
We serve industries where storytelling and design intersect with reality: film and television, advertising, retail, live events, architecture, product design, education, and experiential marketing. Whether you’re launching a new product, designing a retail experience, planning a live event, developing a film sequence, or teaching the next generation of filmmakers, the challenge is the same: communicating an idea clearly before investing the time and money to build it.
What makes Intangible different is that it starts with the world itself. Real environments, real products, real people, and real spatial relationships become the foundation for creative exploration. AI is no longer asked to invent from scratch. It is given context. This allows teams to explore possibilities, test ideas, and make decisions inside believable spaces that reflect how experiences will actually be encountered by audiences and customers.
We believe the next generation of creative tools won’t replace human creators or human storytelling, but will amplify both. By grounding AI in the physical world and giving creators directorial control over scenes, cameras, and experiences, Intangible helps transform abstract ideas into stories people can see, understand, and act upon.
Intangible is the shortest distance between imagination and reality.
Webinar 3
AI + Ethics in Filmmaking
July 20 · 5:30pm PST
Renjie from the Montreal AI Ethics Institute and Habib Zagarpour join us to unpack what responsible AI filmmaking actually looks like — from consent and authorship to the creative decisions that don't make it into the terms of service. Free, open to the public, and the conversation that sets the tone for everything that follows. Free, open to the public.
Speakers: Jagger Waters, Habib Zargarpour, Setareh Samandari
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Renjie Butalid
Renjie Butalid is Co-Founder of the Montreal AI Ethics Institute (founded in 2018), editor of the bi-weekly AI Ethics Brief newsletter (21K+ subscribers), and editor of the annual State of AI Ethics Report (Volume 8 forthcoming November 2026). He is also VP of Business Development at Metrika, a real-time risk management and compliance platform for digital assets, blockchain infrastructure, stablecoins, tokenized assets, and DeFi, working with G-SIBs, financial institutions, market infrastructures, asset managers, and rating agencies. He previously led the expansion of McGill University's Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship, raising over $8 million and securing a Top 10 global ranking. In September 2025 he was selected as a scholarship recipient at the Wadham Experience at Wadham College, University of Oxford. More+
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Charles Migos
Charles Migos is Founder and CPO of Intangible.ai, a platform redefining how film and creative teams visualize ideas by fusing real-time 3D with generative AI. A former design leader at Apple and Unity Technologies, he has spent nearly three decades building tools and consumer products that put creative power in the hands of artists, filmmakers, and developers. He is also an inventor on over 180 patents spanning technology and systems design. More+
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Create
a 90-125 second short film
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Integrate AI
tools into your creative process
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Collaborate
with fellow creators and industry mentors
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Showcase
your film and win recognition
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July 24, 2026
The Westin Bayshore
Vancouver, BC -
Only 10 teams Will be selected
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Applications Close June 8, 2026
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AI + Human Creativity
Creating ethically responsible stories that move us with 3 pre-event webinars open to public.
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AI As a Creative Partner
From ideation to visuals to editing—AI expands what’s possible so storytellers can go further.
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Tools. Talent. Story.
All working together.
