Tunisia’s Zoubeir Jlassi wins world’s largest AI Film Prize at 1 Billion Followers Summit in Dubai
Winning film ‘Lily’ highlights moral storytelling through innovative artificial intelligence
DUBAI – Sheikha Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairperson of Dubai Culture and Arts Authority, has presented the $1 million AI Film Award to Tunisian filmmaker Zoubeir Jlassi for his film Lily.
The award, organised by the 1 Billion Followers Summit in collaboration with Google Gemini, recognises excellence in AI-driven storytelling.
The ceremony was part of the fourth edition of the summit, held from 9 to 11 January at Emirates Towers, Dubai International Financial Centre, and the Museum of the Future. Under the theme ‘Content for Good’, the summit attracts over 15,000 content creators, more than 580 speakers, 150 CEOs, and global experts from around the world.
Encouraging creativity
Sheikha Latifa highlighted the UAE’s commitment to nurturing talent in cultural and creative industries, noting that the world’s largest AI Film Award encourages young people to innovate and explore new storytelling methods.
“Purposeful content plays a vital role in promoting positive values, strengthening community awareness and inspiring creative thinking,” she said. The award demonstrates how technology can enhance human creativity while delivering meaningful messages.
Global participation
The AI Film Award drew 3,500 film submissions, with interest from more than 30,000 participants across 116 countries. A 40-member specialised jury reviewed 400 hours of content, narrowing entries to 100 shortlisted films. Each film underwent technical assessment using Google Gemini to verify that at least 70 per cent of content was created with generative AI tools.
Rigorous judging process
Following audience voting and internal evaluation, five films reached the final stage: Portrait No. 72, Cats Like Warmth, Lily, HEAL, and The Translator. Jury members included Dan Germain, Executive Creative Director at Google Studios, London; Ali Ali, filmmaker and Cannes Lions jury member; Christian Haas, Executive Creative Director at YouTube; Piotr Dabkowski, CTO of ElevenLabs; and Marina Mogilko, entrepreneur and content creator.
A human story
Lily tells the story of a lonely archivist whose life changes after a doll becomes trapped on his car bumper during a hit-and-run. The object leads him to confront his guilt and choose redemption, illustrating how inanimate objects can bear witness to human actions and moral responsibility. Her Highness praised Jlassi’s creative vision and use of AI to reflect the spirit of a new generation shaping the content creation industry.
1 Billion Followers Summit
During her visit to the summit, Sheikha Latifa toured pavilions from Meta, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube, accompanied by Maryam Al Hammadi and Saeed Al Eter. She noted that the event reflects the UAE’s growing influence as a hub for creators and innovators and underscored the importance of content with social impact in driving sustainable development.
The summit’s programme includes over 580 events, from keynote sessions and workshops to interactive dialogues, welcoming an expected 30,000 visitors and collectively engaging 3.5 billion people worldwide.