The Munich shortlist.
Ten cinemas and theaters researched and ranked for the inaugural festival. Tier 1 venues anchor the launch; Tier 2 carries the week; Tier 3 handles overflow and the experimental edges.
ST. PETE, FLORIDA
Festival HQ · Feb 14-21, 2027Our first American flagship. Based at the Floridian Social on Central Ave, with downtown cinemas, waterfront museums and the Warehouse Arts District as one walkable festival village.
Festival Headquarters
The Floridian Social
Tier 1 — FlagshipHeadquartersThe restored 1924 State Theatre, an iconic downtown event hall and live music venue, now dedicated to private events. Festiva's home base for the week: festival control room, badge pickup, press desk, keynote stage and the nightly after-party.
687 Central Ave, St. Pete, FL 33701
Cinemas
AMC Sundial 12
Tier 1 — FlagshipCinemaThe downtown multiplex on the Sundial plaza. Twelve screens make it the high-volume backbone for parallel competition screenings across the week.
151 2nd Ave N, St. Pete, FL 33701
Green Light Cinema
Tier 2 — CoreCinemaSt. Pete's art house movie theater with a bar-lounge and kitchen. Intimate, curated, filmmaker-friendly — the natural home for experimental blocks, Q&As and industry mixers.
221 2nd Ave N, St. Pete, FL 33701
Tampa Theatre
Tier 3 — SupportingCinemaOne of America's grandest surviving movie palaces. A satellite screening partner for the Tampa side of the bay — prestige one-night gala screenings during festival week.
711 N Franklin St, Tampa, FL 33602
Museums & Galleries
The Dalí Museum
Tier 1 — FlagshipMuseumThe region's biggest art draw, and thematically perfect for an AI festival: Dalí's surrealism meets machine-generated imagery. Ideal for the AI Super-Agent installation, a surrealism-meets-AI exhibition or a headline gala night.
1 Dali Blvd, St. Pete, FL 33701
Museum of Fine Arts St. Pete
Tier 2 — CoreMuseumEncyclopedic art museum on the waterfront. Quiet, prestigious gallery space for curated video-art installations and judge/industry receptions.
255 Beach Dr NE, St. Pete, FL 33704
Imagine Museum
Tier 2 — CoreMuseumContemporary glass art museum. Light, color and projection-friendly spaces — a striking evening backdrop for AI-light-art activations and sponsor events.
1901 Central Ave, St. Pete, FL 33712
The James Museum
Tier 3 — SupportingMuseumWestern and wildlife art in the heart of downtown, steps from HQ. Gallery event space for mid-week panels and VIP dinners.
150 Central Ave, St. Pete, FL 33701
Chihuly Collection at Morean Arts Center
Tier 3 — SupportingMuseumImmersive glass gallery on the 600-700 block of Central Ave, inside the walkable downtown arts corridor that links HQ to the venues. Small-group tours and filmmaker welcome receptions.
720 Central Ave, St. Pete, FL 33701
Event, Party & Creative Spaces
Jannus Live
Tier 1 — FlagshipEvent SpaceSt. Pete's landmark open-air concert courtyard, two blocks from the Floridian. The scale venue for the closing-night awards show and headline concert.
200 1st St N, St. Pete, FL 33701
The Factory St. Pete
Tier 2 — CoreEvent SpaceWarehouse-turned-creative-complex with galleries, breweries and makers under one roof. The indie-pulse of the arts district — perfect for late-night showcase parties and vendor markets.
2622 Central Ave, St. Pete, FL 33712
FloridaRAMA
Tier 2 — CoreEvent SpaceImmersive art venue built for events up to 500 guests. An AI-native immersive-art space — the natural home for interactive AI installations and sponsor takeovers.
2603 Central Ave, St. Pete, FL 33712
ArtsXchange (Warehouse Arts District Association)
Tier 3 — SupportingEvent SpaceWorking artist studios with rentable gallery and classroom space. Artist-to-artist workshops, portfolio reviews and the community-first heart of the district.
2233 3rd St N, St. Pete, FL 33712
The Palladium Theater
Tier 3 — SupportingEvent SpaceHistoric downtown concert hall with two stages. Ideal for music-competition showcases and the documentary block with a big, seated audience.
253 5th Ave N, St. Pete, FL 33701
The Coliseum
Tier 3 — SupportingEvent SpaceCity-owned 1920s ballroom with a full dance floor. A classic St. Pete event space for the 1920s-glamour-themed mid-festival costume party.
535 4th Ave N, St. Pete, FL 33701
THE REGION THAT WEEK — FEB 14-21, 2027
Everything happening within two hours of St. Pete during festival week — conflicts to plan around and partners to collaborate with in Tampa, Orlando and Sarasota.
Festiva AI Festival Week
Valentine's Day Sunday opening + Presidents Day holiday Monday — prime date-night and high-attendance window.
Florida State Fair
Florida's biggest February event closes the day after our opening. Huge crowds and hotel traffic Feb 14-15 — partner on family/day-time cross-promo, and expect tight hotel rates.
Epcot International Festival of the Arts
Runs our entire week. The region's largest arts festival — a natural collaboration for visual/performance art crossovers and visiting artists.
Love Your Shorts Film Festival
DIRECT OVERLAP — an international short-film festival in our window. Top collaboration target: shared filmmaker pool, jury exchanges, co-promoted shorts blocks.
Bach Festival
One of Florida's oldest classical music festivals — potential collaboration for live-score and music-competition crossovers.
Circus Sarasota
Opens our closing weekend. A spectacle-culture collaboration for the finale weekend in Sarasota.
Thunder By The Bay Music & Motors Festival
Music and motorcycle festival on our final weekend — cross-promotion and a live-music collaboration opportunity.
Firestone Grand Prix of St. Pete
Two weeks after us, on the downtown streets around our venues. Momentum handoff: downtown is already mobilized, sponsors and press are in town.
Winter Park Arts Weekend
Likely wraps just before our opening — a warm-up audience and local press already focused on the arts.
ZORA! Festival of the Arts
Celebration of Zora Neale Hurston with a strong film and arts program — partnership for documentary and cultural programming.
DTOLive! Chalk Art Festival
Free downtown street-art festival — likely ends before our week, but a visual-arts community to invite.
Valentine's Day + Presidents Day
Our opening weekend IS the holiday weekend — program a 'Date Night at the Movies' opening gala and use the Monday holiday for family screenings.
PRESS & PARTNER OUTREACH LIST
Verified regional media, tourism boards and creator brands to pitch for coverage, listings and festival partnerships.
Tampa Bay Times
Major DailyFlorida's largest daily with Weekend and arts coverage across the bay — the anchor press target for previews and reviews.
Creative Loafing Tampa Bay
Alt-WeeklyThe alternative weekly for music, film and culture, home of Best of the Bay — ideal for edgy AI-film coverage and listings.
St. Pete Catalyst
Local NewsSt. Pete-focused news site covering business and innovation — the hometown story: a global AI film festival headquartered here.
St. Pete Rising
City / Arts BlogDevelopment and culture publication that champions the arts district — natural ally for the Warehouse Arts District programming.
I Love the Burg
Lifestyle Media + CreatorThe definitive St. Pete lifestyle brand with a huge social following — event guides, social features and influencer-style promotion.
That's So Tampa
Lifestyle Media + CreatorTampa's biggest local lifestyle social brand — reels, event roundups and broad regional reach.
83 Degrees Media
Digital MagazineTampa Bay storytelling outlet covering the people behind regional innovation — good for founder and filmmaker features.
Green Bench Monthly
City MagazineSt. Pete community magazine — neighborhood-level festival previews.
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Business PressThe sponsor-facing story: economic impact, tourism dollars and the AI industry angle for backers.
TAMPA Magazine / Tampa Bay Magazine
Regional GlossyLifestyle glossies for gala coverage, VIP party photography and sponsored features.
Spectrum Bay News 9
TV NewsThe bay area's dedicated local news channel — live morning-show segments and on-site reports.
FOX 13 Tampa / ABC Action News / WFLA News Channel 8
TV NewsNetwork affiliates with lifestyle and entertainment desks — opening-night and red-carpet hits.
WUSF 89.7 (NPR) / WMNF 88.5
RadioPublic and community radio with strong arts programming — interview blocks and film-score crossover features.
WEDU PBS
Public TVWest Central Florida's PBS station — home for arts documentary features and a possible broadcast partner.
Visit St. Pete Clearwater
Tourism BoardThe county tourism marketing organization — co-op promotion, visitor guides and official event listings.
Visit Tampa Bay / Visit Sarasota / Visit Orlando
Tourism BoardsNeighboring CVBs for the regional-collaboration angle — satellite screening and partner-event listings.
Film Pinellas / Tampa Bay film community
Film Commission + MakersThe local production community — crew, students and indie filmmakers who become volunteers, judges and voters.
Curious Refuge / AI Film News
Global AI-Film CommunityThe world's best-known AI filmmaking community and newsletter — the single most targeted channel to reach AI filmmakers globally.
MUNICH, GERMANY
World Tour FlagshipGloria Palast
Tier 1 — FlagshipMunich's premier film palace on Karlsplatz, a piece of cinematic history and a Filmfest München venue. Dolby surround and 1950s glamour — the prestige opening-night flagship.
Karlsplatz 5, 80335 München
Deutsches Theater
Tier 1 — FlagshipMonumental 1896 theater, Munich's largest stage after the Opera and Filmfest München's biggest cinema venue. Sweeping lobby and monumental architecture — the soul of 'Anamorphic Brutalism' and the natural home for the Super-Agent installation.
Schwanthalerstraße 13, 80336 München
Mathäser Filmpalast
Tier 1 — FlagshipMunich's largest multiplex beside Karlsplatz. Fourteen screens and over 4,000 seats handle the industry crowd and parallel competition screenings across the week.
Bayerstraße 3-5, 80335 München
City/Atelier Kinos
Tier 2 — CoreMunich's oldest arthouse group and a Filmfest München venue. Five halls handle high-volume screenings and swag distribution, with a curated original-language program.
Sonnenstraße 12, 80331 München
Museum Lichtspiele
Tier 2 — CoreHistoric arthouse cinema on the Isar, famous for English-language screenings and the perennial Rocky Horror run. The community-driven, avant-garde heartbeat of Munich cinema.
Lilienstraße 2, 81669 München
Theatiner Filmkunst
Tier 2 — CoreListed arthouse cinema between Marienplatz and Odeonsplatz, a Filmfest München venue. Original-language, festival-friendly programming in the heart of the city.
Theatinerstraße 32, 80333 München
Cinema Filmtheater
Tier 3 — SupportingMunich's best-loved original-language cinema, comfortable balcony seating and excellent sound. Pairs with the city-center cluster as a secondary-screenings venue.
Nymphenburger Str. 31, 80335 München
Monopol Kino
Tier 3 — SupportingIndependent arthouse at Nordbad, every seat comfy with a good view. Intimate and filmmaker-friendly — the natural lounge for Q&A sessions.
Schleißheimer Straße 127, 80797 München
Werkstattkino
Tier 3 — SupportingHidden in a backyard basement in the Glockenbach quarter, 51 seats and a cult following. The edgy, counter-culture venue for late-night experimental AI shorts.
Fraunhoferstraße 9 (Rückgebäude), 80469 München
Studio Isabella
Tier 3 — SupportingSmall independent arthouse in Schwabing, ascending rows and free-choice seating. An intimate overflow venue for the closing awards screening.
Neureutherstraße 29, 80799 München
Outreach strategy
Ten cinemas and theaters researched and ranked for the inaugural festival. Tier 1 venues anchor the launch; Tier 2 carries the week; Tier 3 handles overflow and the experimental edges.