The Good, The Bad & The Bloodthirsty: The Four Horsemen” Wins Best AI at AMT (New York)

Los Angeles / New York — November 4, 2025 — Neural Punks today announced that its gothic-western micro-series episode, The Good, The Bad & The Bloodthirsty: The Four Horsemen, has won Best AI at AMT in New York, recognizing the project’s handcrafted neural-animation approach and genre-bending worldbuilding.

Written, directed, and produced by John Kalning, the film continues a strong festival run for Neural Punks, following packed screenings (including the DGA Theater in Los Angeles) and prior wins such as Best Animation at the Golden State Film Festival and Best Animation at the Los Angeles Reel Festival.

Blending neo western mood with vampire lore, The Four Horsemen expands the Good/Bad/Bloodthirsty microseries’ visual language: painterly frames, practical feeling grit, and a score of dust and dread. The project is part of Neural Punks’ push to prove that independent, desktop scale AI filmmaking can deliver cinematic texture without a traditional studio footprint.

“AI didn’t replace anyone here — it amplified a singular vision,” said John Kalning, creator of The Good, The Bad & The Bloodthirsty. “We treat neural tools like lenses and brushes.

This award is a nod to process — hours of careful iteration, not just prompts. Huge thanks to AMT and the New York audience.”

About Neural Punks

Neural Punks is an independent AI driven film and art studio founded by John Kalning. The company’s award winning works include Eximium Cor — Verdant 9 (Golden State FilmFestival Best Animation; Esoteric Film Festival Moscow Best AI Film) and the ongoing gothic western vampire micro series The Good, The Bad & The Bloodthirsty (episodes including “Sun’s Salvation”, “Dying Turned Deadly” and “The Four Horsemen”).

IG/X: @NeuralPunks