UPPER MARLBORO, Md., October 13, 2026 — Divine Visions Int. Studios, a film company founded by Nollywood filmmaker John Uche, has submitted its short film Spirit of the Lion to the AI International Film Festival (Hollywood) through the FilmFreeway platform, ahead of the festival's October 21, 2026 submission deadline. The four-minute, forty-four-second film was made with generative artificial intelligence tools and is entered for competition in four categories. The festival lists October 27, 2026 as its notification date. The film has not been accepted and has not been shown publicly.
Four Competition Categories
The film is entered in the categories of Best AI Short Film, Best Story, Best Art Direction and Best Short Director. The AI International Film Festival (Hollywood) accepts films created with artificial intelligence tools and takes submissions through FilmFreeway. Its submission guidelines set technical requirements for entries, including a minimum resolution of 720p, and ask filmmakers to confirm that they own the rights to all material in the film, including the music.
Story and Origins
Spirit of the Lion is set among the Ibibio people of southeastern Nigeria in the seventeenth century. In the story, a village sends a pregnant outcast into a forest it regards as forbidden. A griot narrates the film, which follows what happens to the girl and her child. It is a work of fiction told as a myth and does not document a specific historical event.
The short is adapted from Spirit of the Dancer, a screenplay by Margie Ikem, who was Uche's wife and has died. Uche selected a portion of the script, added an opening narration and an end title, and directed and edited the short film.
Production and Tools
The visuals were generated with the AI video tools Seedance 2.0 and Kling. The narration was generated with Runway, and the score was created with Suno. Uche directed the film, assembled it in Filmora and designed the title cards and poster in Photoshop. Divine Visions Int. Studios states that it holds commercial-use rights to all components of the film.
Filmmaker Background
John Uche is a Nollywood filmmaker, director, producer and editor with more than 30 years of experience and 32 produced films. His earlier films include Mind Game (2010), Bianca (2011) and Dark Roses (2018). His awards include the 2012 GIAMA Awards for Best Film Director and Best Film Producer, Diaspora, for Bianca; the 2011 NAFCA Award for Best Drama, Diaspora, for Mind Game; and the 2011 Nollywood USA Achievement Award. He founded Divine Visions Int. Studios.
Materials for Journalists
A trailer and a press screener of the film are available to journalists on request. The film website is spiritofthelion.com. The press screener page is spiritofthelion.com/press, and an access code is provided on request.
Media Contact
Divine Visions Int. Studios
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 571-830-8815
