If the Oscars had an AI category today, who would win?
Profiling Some of the Rising Stars Defining the Space
We asked our community in the Wonder app.
Some people loved it - others hated it. Whatever the take, the engagement was real as for this growing community of aspiring filmmakers it raised important questions – Is the best defined by reach, notoriety or craft?
Some filmmakers have already carved out a very precise niche (hey, Neuralviz, NiceAunties, Katsukokoiso, Paige Piskin!).
Others are traversing multiple aesthetics at once, forging a nascent style to call their own.
What’s clear is that we’re starting to unearth a new generation of talent - one that by historical standards is less contingent on proximity or network.
Soon we’re excited to shine a light on some of the lesser known names with the Wonder Film Festival, today, however, we’re profiling a few of the greats as decided by our community.
So who would win the Oscar?
Drum roll please… as it currently stands – Kavan the Kid leads with the highest share of votes, largely off Echo Hunter, a twenty minute SAG AFTRA sci fi that feels more like a studio release than a test clip. Watch here
Right behind him sit Dave Clark, Neuralliz, MetaPuppet, Henry Daubrez and Matt Zien, each seeing a lot of love from the community.
Clark and Promise keep pushing hybrid pipelines with films like My Friend, Zeph. MetaPuppet’s Kyra’s tribute to NYC. Daubrez continues to define Veo cinema with projects like Kitsune and Electric Pink, while Zien’s Grimes collaboration has become a shorthand reference for what ambitious AI music visuals can look like.
Clark and Promise keep expanding what hybrid pipelines can do with projects like My Friend, Zeph. MetaPuppet’s Kyra is a stunning tribute to NYC, while Daubrez continues to shape the visual language of Veo cinema through Kitsune and Electric Pink. And Zien’s Grimes collaboration? It’s quickly become the industry’s go-to reference for ambitious AI music visuals.
These are some of the household names in the niche community of AI - it’s only a matter of time until those who got their break in AI begin to bridge over to traditional, likely through hybrid productions - a major thesis behind our Anthology series Beyond The Loop.
The next wave of AI filmmaking talent:
Below the names you’d come to expect, the long tail of the poll begins to glow, illuminating an emerging roster of talent. You find Junie Lau, who uses Flow to explore virtual identity and intergenerational love in projects like Dear Stranger, moving between live action and generative imagery. You find Nice Aunties, a surreal world of sparkling older women, supermarkets and oceans, where AI is used to think about aging, care, policing, climate and memory at the same time.
You also find dozens of names that received one or two votes. Filmmakers and studios who might not yet have a viral film, but whose experiments often stop you mid-scroll.
It’s never been a better time to be a creative - there’s a new world emerging, a community forging around storytelling and experimentation and a wide open opportunity to carve out a position leading the transition into this brave new world.
If you’ve been thinking about starting, you’ve got a project in the works or a masterpiece sitting on your hard drive - we want to hear from you, sign up to the Wonder app and submit your film to the festival… and don’t forget to show some love for your favourite filmmaker in the poll.
The Wonder Film Festival
The Wonder Film Festival is open for submissions inside the Wonder app.
Prize pool: $10,000
Deadline: 5th December 2025
Bring your film. Bring your questions. Bring your experiments.
Let us see what you are building, and let the next chapter of AI cinema be written in public, together.