Candy maker Airheads has tapped filmmakers and this year’s most controversial director–Artificial Intelligence–for its very first film festival, A.I.RHEADS SCAREFEST.
“AI is such a hot topic, and everyone loves a good scary flick on Halloween, so we thought, why not try our luck in Hollywood this year,” said Craig Cuchra, VP of Marketing at Perfetti Van Melle, maker of Airheads candy. “We’re excited to see what our fans think of the films we’re screening, and it will be fun to see how Airheads fans play with AI and create their own spooky film with a little candy inspiration.”
The film festival challenge was simple. Filmmakers were tasked to create an AI-generated Halloween-themed film that incorporated the famous Airheads balloon in some way, shape, or form. They were also instructed to include a balance of appropriate horror film scariness and humor. All films are under three minutes long.
Anyone can watch and share their favorite A.I.RHEADS SCAREFEST film on the film festival website starting today, October 24, 2023, through November 30 at midnight ET. Additionally, Airheads fans can try their hand at AI scary filmmaking and submit their short film for a chance to win a year’s supply of Airheads candy and a $2,000 cash prize. All films must follow the same brief that the filmmakers used, and the fan film with the most votes will win.
“I usually can’t watch horror films because they scare me too much and keep me up at night,” said Ronnie Allman, the filmmaker behind “While You Sleep.” “Now, after making this short film for A.I.RHEADS SCAREFEST, I’m still up at night, spooked about how quickly I can use AI to bring my creative vision to life.”
To learn more about the A.I.RHEADS SCAREFEST and to get instructions on how to vote for your favorite film, or submit your own, visit www.airheadsscarefest.com.
