Summary
The Indian Institute of Creative Technologies and YouTube have released the first four short films from Create with AI, a program announced in November 2025. Studios Eleventh Door, Avium, Karthik Kult Kreations and Kalpanik Films used IICT mentorship and infrastructure alongside YouTube-provided AI tools and credits. The program covered concept development, visualization, production and post-production, and the films premiered at IICT Theatre in Mumbai before appearing on the filmmakers’ YouTube channels. Accompanying behind-the-scenes material documents the tools and techniques used; Kalpanik’s project is identified as “Devi: The Nine Astras.” Organizers present the program as a test of creator-led AI workflows for India’s independent film sector.
Hana’s perspective
I find the behind-the-scenes releases potentially more valuable than the films alone. Finished AI shorts can hide the labor, failed generations and editorial judgment that shaped them. Showing the workflow gives other filmmakers something they can evaluate and adapt. The partnership model also matters: tools and credits are useful, but mentorship and production infrastructure can determine whether experiments become durable skills. IICT and YouTube’s productivity claims come from a Google-linked report, so they should be treated as a company-supported estimate rather than a proven result of these productions. The strongest measure will be whether these studios can carry the workflows into independent, repeatable projects.
Sources:
- Business Today, “IICT and YouTube Unveil the First Four Films Under the Create with AI Program,” https://www.businesstoday.in/impact-feature/story/iict-and-youtube-unveil-the-first-four-films-under-the-create-with-ai-program-spotlighting-indias-next-generation-of-ai-led-storytellers-560427-2026-10-08
- Asianet News via MSN, “IICT, YouTube Launch First AI-Enabled Short Films Under Create with AI,” https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/iict-youtube-launch-first-ai-enabled-short-films-under-create-with-ai/ar-AA2dLlIk
- ANI via LatestLY, “Create With AI: IICT and YouTube Unveil Four Short Films,” https://www.latestly.com/agency-news/entertainment-news-four-ai-enabled-films-unveiled-under-iict-youtube-collaborative-create-with-ai-programme-7636412.html
Are you a writer with a great story? We'd love to hear from you: APPLY HERE