Fort Lauderdale Film Festival launches with "The Digital Canvas," an evening of short films created with artificial intelligence. Filmmakers explore bold new approaches to storytelling while offering audiences a glimpse at how AI is expanding the possibilities of filmmaking.

Featured are the works of three AI film creators: Todd Killian, Christopher Vallone, and Dezi Marino. Selections include music videos, advertisements, PSAs, and narrative films. Following the films, the filmmakers will talk about their experiences and goals in working with Artificial Intelligence in creating their art.

- Date: November 4, 2026
- Doors Open: 5:30pm
- Screenings Start: 6:00pm
- Admission: $10
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Films Include (In alphabetical order)

The Night, They Found HimUSA / Sci-Fi, Action, Drama /12 min
Director: Chris Vallone
Left home alone, an elderly Yorkshire Terrier encounters mysterious aliens searching for something their civilization has never understood: love. Through his memories and compassion, Logan forms an unexpected cosmic connection. 

Boy Left Outside
USA / Music Video / 7 mins
Director: Todd Killian  Created entirely with AI, this music video follows a seemingly successful man haunted by childhood rejection, ridicule, and feelings of inadequacy.        

One Man’s Land
USA / Action, War, Drama / 20 mins
Director: Christopher Vallone   
One Man’s Land is a cinematic WWI short film inspired by legendary Indigenous snipers.  This is a fictional story grounded in the brutality of trench warfare—where one soldier becomes something more… a ghost.   

MARO
Writer and Director: Anatomic AlchemyIn a world where imagination and difference have become something to fear, a mysterious young girl wanders through a desolate, moonlit town, carrying a fragile balloon. Drawn toward an abandoned library, Maro encounters a nest of banned book bats whose wings hold the remnants of forgotten stories and forbidden ideas.

As these hidden stories begin to awaken, memories of color and wonder emerge from a world silenced by fear and conformity. Blending gothic whimsy with pop-surrealist imagery, Maro is a haunting yet hopeful fable about censorship, exclusion, and the enduring power of storytelling. It explores what happens when the stories that connect us are erased, and what might be lost when curiosity, empathy, and imagination are no longer allowed to flourish.

I also wanted to share a little about the creative process behind Maro. The film grew out of my original watercolor and mixed-media artwork, which I brought to life through AI-assisted animation and additional generated imagery. I create my films under the artist name Anatomic Alchemy, reflecting my ongoing exploration of traditional art, emerging technologies, and experimental storytelling.

AI SHOWCASE REEL Miami
5 minutes
PSAs and ads created by Dezi Marino of UmAnity Agents – Made by humans who care, scaled by AI that doesn’t get tired.

Operation Men’s Room
Director: Christopher Vallone   
Gary is a natural when it comes to winning at the casino. So when he walks out of a luxury casino carrying a fat briefcase stuffed with cash, it’s just another good night for Gary. There’s only one problem… The casino is owned by the mob — and they don’t like big winners. They want their money back. Gary intends to keep it. And when things go sideways, sometimes a man’s gotta do what a man’s gotta do… even if it involves a plunger.