The World AI Film Festival (WAiFF) PRO’TALKS:
Discussions and meetings to write a new page in the history of cinema

A prestigious and exclusive event with 150 professionals (*)

In the presence of the festival jury members:
Claude Lelouch, Julie Gayet, Alexia Laroche-Joubert, etc.

Saturday, April 12, 2025, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (entrance from 9:00 a.m.)
Palais des Rois sardes, 10 rue de la Prefecture in Nice

The World AI Film Festival (WAIFF), which will take place in Nice on April 11 and 12, 2025, is the first festival in the world to combine AI tools and the values ​​of cinema. This festival embodies a bold vision: that of a future where technology and humans unite to push the boundaries of creation, while promoting AI that respects creators’ rights and copyright.

Saturday, April 12th, will be dedicated to discussions on the use of AI in the world of cinema for key players in the film and AI ecosystem: producers, directors, screenwriters, investors, and experts.

WAiFF: An event to discover how AI is transforming today’s cinema and shaping tomorrow’s.

Focused on innovation and digital creation, a forum for discussions and meetings around AI and cinema, the WAiFF Pro Talks will bring together film and digital professionals to observe the changes sweeping the image industry, to decipher new economic models and new narrative forms of cinema.

Thanks to the diversity of the proposed environments, these meetings will be a prescriptive venue to challenge the markets and images of tomorrow’s cinema.

Featuring exceptional speakers, these discussions will build a dialogue between creatives and tech experts around ethical AI that respects copyright as a common thread.

These passionate and committed individuals, from the worlds of film, audiovisual, and creative work, all share a common conviction: the future of cinema belongs to those who master and enhance the power of AI tools.

The spirit of this first opus will therefore be to share innovation with all the professionals present, but also to create an environment conducive to its dissemination, foster partnerships and cooperation agreements, and continually support young talents in French cinema.

Pro Talks start: 9:30 a.m.

The program includes four roundtables:

Roundtable 1: AI in the service of cinematic creativity: 9:45 a.m. – 10:25 a.m.

AI, the new muse of cinema? Filmmaking with AI: tool or revolution? How are directors appropriating AI in the creative process, and what are the artistic and ethical limits?

Speakers: Claude Lelouch (director and Honorary President of the festival); Julie Gayet (actress-producer); Anna Apter (director); Simon Bouisson (director). Moderator: Eric Lentulo, Genario.

Roundtable 2: New professions, new workflows: 10:35 a.m. – 11:15 a.m.

A revolution behind the scenes: how is AI redefining the film and audiovisual industries? Creating with AI: what skills are needed for the cinema of tomorrow? How are studios and producers adapting?

Speakers: Alexia Laroche-Joubert (President of Banijay France); Marianne Carpentier (Director of Emerging Technologies / TF1 Group); Ludovic Place (Director of ESIS ISA ISFJ / Skolae Group); and Gilles Guerra (director, Founder of Prompt Club). Moderator: David Defendi, Genario.

Roundtable 3: AI and Film Financing: 11:25 a.m. – 12:05 p.m.

How is AI reinventing film financing? Financing film in the age of AI: opportunities and challenges? How are AI and blockchain redefining the sector’s economic models?

Speakers: Jean-David Blanc (CEO / Molotov); Sébastien Praicheux (Lawyer, Noton Rose Fulbright); Jean-Baptiste Babin (Founding Partner / Backup Media); Pauline Augrain (Director of Digital / CNC). Moderator: Eric Lentulo, Genario.

Roundtable 4: Copyright and AI: 1:45 p.m. – 2:25 p.m.

Towards a new legal framework? Creators in danger? AI-assisted creation: opportunity or threat for authors? This roundtable will address the important issue of protecting works in the face of advances in AI.

Speakers: Pascal Rogard (Executive Director / SACD); Xavier Lemarchand (Director of AI Coordination and Integration / INA); Noël Esnault (CEO – ReCut); Patrick Kuban (UVA United Voice Artists, actor, artist, performer); Alexandra Bensamoun (Member of the Interministerial Commission on AI). Moderator: David Defendi, Genario.

Roundtable 5: The Filmmakers Speak: 2:35 PM – 3:15 PM

The SRF invites you to a discussion between four filmmakers on the effects of AI on their directing techniques. Founded in 1968, the SRF (Society of Film Directors) represents more than 500 filmmakers of short, medium-length, and feature films, whether they make fiction, documentaries, or animation. It defends artistic and moral freedoms, as well as the professional and economic interests of filmmaking.

Speakers: Thomas Bidegain (screenwriter, director); Bertrand Bonello (director, screenwriter, composer / Co-President of the SRF); Axelle Ropert (screenwriter, director); Thomas Coispel (documentary director, researcher). Moderator: David Defendi (Genario).

3:30 PM: Demo Talks – Startup Space

(*) For accredited professionals only.