An AI Short Film · 2026

Neon Rebellion

Directed by Ali Shirazi

Explore Film
Official poster for Neon Rebellion, an AI short film directed by Ali Shirazi
Official Selection · 2026

Neon Rebellion

“In a city that never sleeps, the last human feeling is contraband.”

Kira, a courier in a rain-drenched megacity, smuggles fragments of banned memory through neon arteries controlled by a synthetic regime. When she meets Vex — half man, half machine — she must decide whether emotion is a defect to be patched or the only rebellion left. Told entirely through AI-driven cinematography, Neon Rebellion is a 14-minute study of what remains human when everything else is generated.

Genre
Science Fiction · Cyberpunk Drama
Director
Ali Shirazi
Running Time
14 minutes
Release Year
2026
Format
AI-generated 2.39:1 · Dolby stereo
Language
English · Persian
IMDbLetterboxdStreaming
Official Trailer

Watch the Trailer

Experience the world of Neon Rebellion — a cinematic AI short film exploring the future of storytelling.

Neon Rebellion trailer poster

AI Creative Process

Direction first, generation second

Every frame of Neon Rebellion was authored the way a live-action film is: script, boards, lensing, blocking and a locked color script. Generative models were treated as a camera crew, not an author — used for world building, character consistency and motion, while pacing, performance and meaning stayed under human cinematic direction.

  1. Character study frame used during concept development for Neon RebellionStep 01

    Step 01

    Concept Development

    Theme, world rules and character arcs are written first — the AI never decides the story.

    • Script
    • Worldbuilding
    • GPT Research
    Learn more
  2. Storyboard frame study of the half-machine man in Neon RebellionStep 02

    Step 02

    AI Storyboarding

    Every beat is boarded as a frame study, locking lensing and blocking before render.

    • Midjourney
    • Frame Studies
    • Lens Plan
    Learn more
  3. Neon stage sequence generated for Neon RebellionStep 03

    Step 03

    Visual Generation

    Character-consistent generation passes build the city, costumes and light language.

    • Flux
    • Character LoRA
    • Upscale
    Learn more
  4. Cockpit shot animated with a virtual camera move in Neon RebellionStep 04

    Step 04

    Animation

    Boards become motion with camera moves designed like a physical cinematography plan.

    • Runway
    • Kling
    • Camera Moves
    Learn more
  5. Rain close-up used for voice and sound design passes in Neon RebellionStep 05

    Step 05

    Voice & Sound Design

    Performance, foley and a synth score give the synthetic world a human pulse.

    • ElevenLabs
    • Foley
    • Synth Score
    Learn more
  6. Graded neon rose frame from the final color pass of Neon RebellionStep 06

    Step 06

    Editing & Color Grading

    Cut for rhythm, then graded to a single cinematic palette of cyan, magenta and violet.

    • DaVinci Resolve
    • Color Script
    • Finishing
    Learn more
Portrait of Ali Shirazi, Iranian filmmaker and visual artist behind Neon Rebellion

About the Director

Ali Shirazi

Ali Shirazi is an Iranian filmmaker and visual artist working at the intersection of classical cinema and machine intelligence. His work explores how AI cinematic storytelling can carry emotion rather than replace it — grounding generated imagery in the grammar of lensing, blocking and rhythm.

Trained in traditional filmmaking, he approaches every AI production as a full crew discipline: writing, boarding and color scripting before a single frame is generated. Neon Rebellion is his most ambitious work to date — a cyberpunk drama built entirely with AI filmmaking tools under human direction.

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Contact

Let’s create the future of cinema

For festival programming, distribution, press or collaboration on AI-driven storytelling — reach out directly.

hello@neonrebellion.film