At the 79th Cannes International Film Festival, Chinese AI short dramas had their moment of glory. Two fully AI-produced short dramas from Hangzhou—"The Dream of the Heavenly Mechanism" and "E-Tower"—were selected for the Cannes Vertical Drama Exhibition from over 1,000 entries across 120 countries, marking the first time that fully AI-produced Chinese short dramas have been included in the official screening section of this film festival. This achievement also signifies that Chinese AI film works now possess competitive strength in the international mainstream market.

1. Hangzhou-made AI Short Dramas: The "Made in Hangzhou" on the International Stage

"The Dream of the Heavenly Mechanism": Based on the world-building provided by renowned author Tian Xia Ba Chang, it continues his signature suspense adventure style, integrating Eastern folklore, tomb culture, and modern suspense seamlessly. The work has already prepared nearly 30 series, forming an initial model for series development.

"E-Tower": Adapted from the science fiction novel of the same name by Pan Haitian, a winner of the Galaxy Award. The drama centers on survival in a post-apocalyptic setting, skillfully combining Eastern fantasy imagery with Western classic story archetypes, showcasing a high level of cross-cultural narrative capability.

2. Hangzhou: The Industrial Foundation for "Artificial Intelligence First City"

This selection is not an isolated case. With its deep digital cultural heritage and forward-looking industrial layout, Hangzhou has become a hub for China's AIGC (Artificial Intelligence Generated Content) industry:

Industrial Scale: As of 2025, the core AI industry revenue in Hangzhou exceeded 390 billion yuan, with more than 700 large-scale core enterprises and related industry funds exceeding 100 billion yuan.

Policy and Talent Support: Multiple regions in Hangzhou have introduced specialized policies to support the AIGC industry, while building talent training systems through university-enterprise cooperation. Institutions such as the Hangzhou University College of Artificial Intelligence and Advanced Computing Industry College are continuously providing high-level technical talents with interdisciplinary skills, achieving a full-cycle closed loop from "creative experiments" to "industrial success."

A Flourishing Industrial Ecosystem: From "Youshan Ling" achieving tens of millions of views and winning international awards, to "My Master Is a Crane" and "Jiu Zhou Mu Yun Lu" frequently emerging, Hangzhou has formed a multi-dimensional short drama ecosystem covering production, distribution, technology, and platforms. It has attracted major players like Maida Media and Chinese Online to deeply cultivate the industry here.

3. Industry Insights: From "Selling Traffic" to "Creating Value"

This overseas success proves a new path for cultural exports driven by "technology + content." AI production has significantly shortened the production cycle of TV dramas by over 80%, enabling small teams to create content with cinematic quality. As industry analysts point out, AI films are not only a technological revolution but also a reshaping of the revenue model—shifting from traditional "selling traffic duration" to "creating value through efficiency and creativity."

The stunning appearance of Hangzhou's AI short dramas at Cannes is a symbol of the deep integration of Chinese culture with cutting-edge AI technology, and also indicates that China's film industry is increasingly occupying a strategic position in the global digital cultural creation field with an "AI-led" approach.