Generating key takeaways...
The short film Not A Toy, a seven-to-ten-minute production created entirely with artificial intelligence, has been completed by the AI boutique AiZ in partnership with Lion Films and written and directed by Anton Zimin, FilmInk reported. The project was developed over roughly six weeks by a four-person team for submission to the 1 Billion Followers Summit AI Awards and centres on a neurotic toy gun that longs to be merely a toy in a world normalised by violence. [1]
The production followed a classical filmmaking pipeline, script, storyboards, key visuals, animated scenes, while replacing many traditional craft processes with generative models and bespoke integrations. According to the film’s creators, detailed scene briefs described camera behaviour and visual references, with key frames serving as the foundation for video generation; AI specialists on the team developed custom applications to integrate tools via API, accelerating the creation of consistent key frames, one of the most technically challenging aspects of generative video. [1]
Technically, the team employed a suite of contemporary AI tools: animated scenes were generated with Veo 3.1 and key visuals with Nano Banana, augmented by Flow, Whisk, Gemini and API-driven workflows inside Adobe Photoshop. Image quality required multi-stage upscaling using models such as Topaz and SeedVR, with editing and colour grading finalised in DaVinci Resolve. The filmmakers describe the exercise as both an artistic and production experiment that demonstrates how complete films can be realised using AI while adhering to classical cinematic principles. [1]
The timing and framing of Not A Toy place it squarely within a growing ecosystem of industry-backed AI film initiatives. Google has promoted incentive programmes encouraging AI filmmaking: the Global AI Film Award, powered by Google Gemini, invites filmmakers to submit 7–10-minute shorts that are at least 70% generated with Google AI models, offering a $1 million top prize and an invitation to present winners at the 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai in January 2026; submissions for that competition close on November 20, 2025, and the Summit is scheduled for early January 2026. According to Google’s announcement, the competition aims to accelerate use of tools such as Gemini, Flow and Veo to foster impactful storytelling. [2][5][6]
Not A Toy is not unique in emerging from festival-focused AI challenges. Other independently produced AI films, such as the project framed under the ‘AI for Good’ banner, have used multi-vendor stacks, including ChatGPT, Perplexity, Gemini, Midjourney, Runway, Veo3 and Topaz, and gone on to festival recognition, illustrating how generative pipelines vary widely in tool choice and runtime outcomes. Industry and festival programmes are converging on minimum-AI thresholds, commonly around 70%, to define eligibility, while competitions differ on technical, length and platform criteria. [3][6]
Creative and executive producers on Not A Toy emphasise practical limits to automation: AI can lower budgets and speed production, they say, but it does not substitute for professional expertise built through years of craft. The team argues that neural networks are tools that expand access to filmmaking rather than immediate replacements for writers, directors, cinematographers and artists, while acknowledging new challenges as creators now compete with computational systems as well as each other. That framing mirrors public messaging from organisers of large AI film prizes, who promote AI as a means to deepen filmmakers’ creative and technical skills rather than to erase human authorship. [1][5]
Not A Toy thus operates both as a creative narrative about identity and as a demonstration of current generative-video practice: it showcases what can be achieved with an integrated AI toolchain and bespoke engineering while underscoring the continuing need for human creative intent and oversight. As festival rules and commercial programmes crystallise around minimum-AI thresholds and accepted toolsets, experiments like this will likely shape debate about authorship, quality and the role of AI in professional filmmaking. [1][2][3][5]
📌 Reference Map:
##Reference Map:
- [1] (FilmInk) – Paragraph 1, Paragraph 2, Paragraph 3, Paragraph 6, Paragraph 7
- [2] (Google blog) – Paragraph 4, Paragraph 7
- [3] (AI for Good project) – Paragraph 5, Paragraph 7
- [5] (Google/1 Billion Followers Summit announcement) – Paragraph 4, Paragraph 6, Paragraph 7
- [6] (UAE $1 million AI film award blog) – Paragraph 4, Paragraph 5
Source: Noah Wire Services
Noah Fact Check Pro
The draft above was created using the information available at the time the story first
emerged. We’ve since applied our fact-checking process to the final narrative, based on the criteria listed
below. The results are intended to help you assess the credibility of the piece and highlight any areas that may
warrant further investigation.
Freshness check
Score:
10
Notes:
The narrative is recent, published on 13 January 2026, detailing the completion of the AI-generated short film ‘Not A Toy’ by AiZ and Lion Films, directed by Anton Zimin.
Quotes check
Score:
10
Notes:
No direct quotes are present in the narrative, indicating original content.
Source reliability
Score:
8
Notes:
The narrative originates from FilmInk, an Australian publication known for its coverage of film industry news. While reputable, it is not as widely recognised as major international outlets.
Plausability check
Score:
9
Notes:
The narrative describes a plausible AI filmmaking project, aligning with current industry trends. The mention of the 1 Billion Followers Summit AI Awards and Google’s Global AI Film Award supports the narrative’s credibility.
Overall assessment
Verdict (FAIL, OPEN, PASS): PASS
Confidence (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH): HIGH
Summary:
The narrative is recent, original, and plausible, originating from a reputable source. It provides specific details about the AI-generated short film ‘Not A Toy’ and its context within industry events, with no significant credibility concerns identified.
