AI-Powered Anime 'Killtube' Captivates Tokyo's Creative Minds

On October 30, 2025, the Tokyo International Film Festival hosted a panel discussion and awards ceremony for the KlingAI NextGen Creative Contest. The event, which attracted over 4,600 submissions from 122 countries, celebrated the potential of AI in filmmaking.

Oscar-winning art director Tim Yip delivered a powerful message, calling for the preservation of human emotion in an age of rapidly advancing technology. "Technology is so strong, you have to get something more than, higher than the technology to make it as a tool, so not as a god," Yip said.

The winning creators themselves spoke about how AI tools enabled them to realize deeply personal visions that would have been impossible through traditional filmmaking. C·one, the grand prize winner for his film "Alzheimer," described the creative process of using AI as a starting point to explore his story. Other winners, like South Korean media artist Leammonn and Polish filmmaker Dawid Meller, expressed excitement about the democratizing potential of AI in filmmaking.

The event highlighted both the possibilities and anxieties surrounding AI in the industry. While Yip warned against AI-driven films becoming too focused on spectacle, the overall message was one of collaboration rather than competition. Filmmakers like South Korean director Lee Hwan-kyung suggested AI could help bridge the traditional divide between screenwriters and directors.

As the evening concluded, the creators shared plans to further explore the integration of AI and traditional storytelling techniques, showcasing the continued evolution of this dynamic creative landscape.