MyFilm48 Season Three: The Triumph of “Advertising as Cinema” and Silver Mercury Gold

March 2025 marked MyFilm48's definitive recognition by the professional community. The third season, held March 1–3 under the theme “Advertising as Cinema” with the support of KARI — Russia's largest footwear retail chain — set a new record and brought the project prestigious awards.

760 submissions from 25 countries (+19% over the previous season) and 181 completed entries confirmed MyFilm48's status as one of the world's leading platforms for generative video art. The season's concept offered participants four creative directions for KARI's spring collection: “Neon and Asphalt”, “Wild Elegance”, “Freedom of Movement” and “The Golden Age” — each requiring a cinematic interpretation of a commercial product.

For the first time in the competition's history, participants received professional photographs of footwear from KARI collections and an exclusive video tutorial by Andrei Gladkov — two-time MyFilm48 winner — who demonstrated cutting-edge techniques for accurate product transfer in AI generation. This marked a qualitative leap in integrating commercial objectives with the artistic capabilities of AI tools.

The partner ecosystem reached professional maturity: RED PEPPER FILM (winner of 100+ international awards), the communications agency SETTERS, Phygital Plus and technology experts from Sber formed a unique jury capable of evaluating entries on every level — from artistic to commercial.

A symbol of the democratizing power of AI technology was the victory of Viktoria Stepanova, a high school student from Novokuznetsk, whose entry “Predatory Elegance: Grace in Every Step by KARI” outperformed projects by professional studios. It was a manifesto for a new era in which talent and technology matter more than formal education.

Professional recognition came in the form of two awards at the Silver Mercury North-West 2025 festival: gold in the “Best Digital Campaign Using Innovative Technologies” category and bronze for “Educational/Cultural PR”. The jurors highlighted “a creative mechanic that popularizes AI and allows the brand to quickly obtain high-quality content”.

A prize fund of 550,000 rubles and contracts with KARI for the best participants turned the competition into a real tool for professional growth. The third season proved that MyFilm48 has evolved from an experimental platform into a full-fledged business model for the future of the creative industries.

Winners of Season Three:

• 1st place: Viktoria Stepanova — “Predatory Elegance: Grace in Every Step by KARI”

• 2nd place: Vladimir Yanpolsky — “KARI: Break Out of the System”

• 3rd place: Maria Pli — “Pino”

The works of the third season's winners and finalists can be viewed in this playlist.