Shape of Things to Come, a breakout short film by writer-director Tony Savo, has been named Best AI Film at the 2025 Hollywood Stage Script Film Competition. It’s the film’s fourth consecutive festival selection—cementing its place among the most buzzed-about indie sci-fi works of the year.
“It’s a tremendous honor to have ‘Shape of Things to Come’ recognized and celebrated by the Hollywood Stage Script Film Competition,” Savo said. “Winning Best AI Film 2025 is a mountain-top moment in my book, and I’m extremely grateful for Hollywood SSFC’s dedication to providing indie filmmakers a platform to shine on.”
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The film follows Tommy Timex, a Sacramento gig worker drawn into the orbit of Silicon Valley’s high-tech elite. What begins as a brush with innovation spirals into a surreal journey through the future of artificial intelligence and the looming Singularity.
With its distinct anime-inspired visuals, first-person perspective, and haunting synthwave soundtrack, Shape of Things to Come explores the thin line between human consciousness and machine intelligence. Music is provided by synth artists VHS Ghost and VHS LOGOS.
Savo, who produced the entire film on an Android phone using the KineMaster app, employed cutting-edge tools like Dream Machine by Luma Labs, Gen-3 by Runway AI, and Eleven Labs’ voice synthesis tech. The film is the first AI-generated work ever to premiere in IMAX, and it’s already played at international festivals including the 2025 Tokyo Lift-Off and Purple Sky International.
“Right now, the LinkedIn profile is getting hits from people at Paramount,” Savo said. “I know they have a passion for captivating sci-fi stories and they know how to deliver. The amount of buzz the film’s been receiving online with ChatGPT and Google Gemini is proof people are ready for something fresh and crispy.”
Streaming giants like Amazon and Netflix are rumored to be circling the project, and interest is mounting in what could become Savo’s first major development deal.
Next, Savo will appear at the 2025 Roseville Gamers Expo on June 21 and 22, where he’ll host the “Sactown Famous” booth, featuring exclusive merchandise including hoodies, posters, and holographic stickers. Fans will get a first look at characters like “Tommy Timex” and “Autonomous the Merciless Mech.”
Shape of Things to Come is currently unrated. A wider release is set for Fourth of July weekend, 2025.
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