Industry

On 21 and 22 April 2026, the second edition of the World AI Film Festival (WAiFF) took place in Cannes and concluded with a gala at Palais de Festival, where on May 12 the 79th edition of the renowned Festival de Cannes will kick off. The two-day-event brought together international stakeholders to explore the evolving relationship between audiovisual creation and artificial intelligence with panel discussions at day and gala events at night. And – as is to be expected - a very positive view of the impact of AI on the film industry.
A highlight of the event was the special appearance by renowned actress Gong Li (MULAN, MIAMI VICE), further emphasizing the festival’s global appeal, beside French Oscar winner Claude Lelouch, or French electronic music legend Jean-Michel Jarre.

OUTSTANDING WORK
Various awards for outstanding AI generated filmmaking were handed over. The Youth Award was given to RENDAI-VOUS by Marius Doicov (France), while the Action Award went to A DOLLAR STORY by Qui Sheng (China). In the animation category, LA SÉLECTION MÉCANIQUE by Jules Blachier (France) took home the prize. The Fantasy Award was won by COSTA VERDE by Léo Cannone (United Kingdom/France), and the Emotion Award was given to THE BEGINNING by Ibraheem Diab (Jordan). The CapCut Award was presented to APOCALYPSE: THE ART OF TOVAR by Nyko Oliver, and the AI Soundtrack Award went to Steam by Fabio Bonvicini (Italy). Finally, the MiniMax Award for Best Feature-Length Documentary was awarded to NAPOLÉON III LE PRIX DE L’AUDACE by Jacques Edouard (France).

Although many of the award-winning entries pushed the technical boundaries of AI and often had a futuristic, dystopian feel, the winner of the evening as Best AI Film was an emotional, melancholic film about childhood memories of summer holidays spent with grandparents, presented in a home-video style from the narrator’s perspective. The winning film demonstrated that storytelling remains essential even in the age of AI, and that AI is a tool that enables further narratives.

PANELS AND KEYNOTES
During the day, there were various panel discussions and keynote speeches that explored the topic of AI from different angles. The panel “Back to the Future: The AI Transformation of Entertainment” was expertly hosted by Rémi Tereszkiewicz and set the stage with a compelling keynote by Javishth Chabria (Just Videos Studios). Chabria drew striking parallels with the history of cinema, noting that all innovations are initially met with skepticism. He reminded the audience that the first film screenings took place at fairs, and it took years before film was recognized as an art form. Addressing the current state of the industry, he stated, “We have an infrastructure problem,” and added, “Film is the last industry that bills before it delivers.”

Nancy Hamilton (CEO of Golden Eagle AI) emphasized the emotional core of filmmaking, declaring, “The future of AI filmmaking lays in the power of storytelling” and ”If the film doesn’t move us, then we have failed as filmmakers.” American actress, director, and producer Sandra Dee Richardson cautioned that “AI is a fantastic tool, but it’s like a wild animal: you have to be very careful,” while acknowledging that “for actors, there are still more questions than answers.” Producer and Media Tech Executive Joanna Popper highlighted the potential of AI, stating, “There’s a lot of opportunities” and “less outcomes that are not inevitable,” and celebrated the democratization of creation with “You have the ability to greenlight yourself – it’s incredible.” Webedia Creators’s MD Gregg Bywalski shifted the focus to practical concerns, asking, “But the question is, how can you protect your IP?” and urging the industry to “build business cases around it.”

OUTLOOK 2027
“For the next edition, which will take place in 2027 in Cannes, our aim is to strengthen the festival’s international development and expand its reach into new countries.” said Charles Ange Ginésy, President of the Alpes-Maritimes Department, who is aming to position the French Riviera “as a pioneering region where the imaginations of the future are brought to life.” WAiFF founder and former Apple manager Marco Landi continued “Our international partners, from South Korea, Japan, China and Brazil, have already confirmed their attendance for next year, joined by new countries such as Turkey, India, Mexico, the United States and Vietnam, to carry this momentum forward together.”

It will be interesting to see just how international the third edition of WAiFF will be, given that the second edition naturally still had a strong focus on France. But even at the venerable Cannes Film Festival, things aren’t much different after 78 years. According to the festival submission provider Miralot, in 2026, every single co-production in the Palme d’Or Competition contenders was co-produced with France. “France is increasingly present in the structures that finance, package, and position these films.” wrote Moritz Schneider, Founder of Miralot.

The World AI Film Festival took place across four locations in Cannes: the Palais des Festivals, the Marriott Hotel, the Espace Miramar, and the Les Arcades cinema, and was organized by the Alpes-Maritimes Departmental Authority, La Maison de l’IA, and the Institut EuropIA, in collaboration with TechCannes, Genario, Studio Laffitte, and BetaSeries, and with the backing of the City of Cannes.