_13938.png)
This year’s edition brought together agencies, producers, creators, and major companies to discuss how branded entertainment is shifting from traditional advertising to narrative-driven, purpose-led storytelling. Across panels and screenings, one message was clear: the short film has become a strategic tool for brands seeking deeper engagement and cultural relevance.
Hyper-Personalization is the new frontier
Speakers emphasised that brand storytelling is moving beyond broad targeting. Today, success comes from connecting with individual passions and micro-communities. Short films are increasingly built around specific interest clusters—whether gaming, sport, sustainability, or youth culture—allowing brands to speak more directly to the audiences that matter.
Speakers emphasised that brand storytelling is moving beyond broad targeting. Today, success comes from connecting with individual passions and micro-communities. Short films are increasingly built around specific interest clusters—whether gaming, sport, sustainability, or youth culture—allowing brands to speak more directly to the audiences that matter.
AI Supports Creativity, Not Replaces It
Another key theme was the role of Artificial Intelligence. While AI is transforming production workflows—supporting editing, content versioning, and data-driven insights—creatives agreed that it will not replace human authorship. Instead, AI is becoming a complementary tool that enhances ideation and efficiency, leaving storytelling decisions firmly in human hands.
From entertainment and consumer goods to sports organisations and even TikTok, a growing range of brands are entering the cinematic space. The summit showcased short films and micro-series that blur the lines between content and advertising, demonstrating how companies are using the power of cinema to express identity, values, and purpose. Panels dedicated to sports storytelling and social-first series underlined how new platforms and new languages are reshaping the field.
Be Short highlighted a market in full transformation. Short films are no longer side projects but strategic assets—launched at festivals, distributed across platforms, and designed to build long-term engagement. With hyper-personalisation, new creative technologies, and cross-sector experimentation, branded entertainment is entering
