NEWSLETTER WAIFF May 2027
Following the momentum of its 2026 success, the WAIFF enters a new phase of international expansion. The movement continues to broaden its reach, welcoming new participating countries, including Turkey, and reinforcing an increasingly interconnected creative ecosystem. The next edition will be held in Cannes on April 6–7, 2027, consolidating its presence at the center of the international film landscape.
In parallel, the WAIFF will extend its footprint across the Atlantic with its inaugural Los Angeles edition on October 11–12, 2026, opening a dynamic exchange between continents. This expansion is accompanied by new initiatives that further bridge artistic disciplines.
Alongside the Los Angeles edition, we are proud to announce the upcoming edition of the World AI Music Festival, with Jean-Michel Jarre and Fred Martin serving as director, bringing together innovation, creativity, and music at the frontier of artificial intelligence.
The journey toward Cannes continues, broader, bolder, and more creative than ever.
World AI Film Festival : Road to Cannes 2027
The 2026 edition of the World AI Film Festival (WAIFF), held in Cannes on April 21–22, marked a turning point in the emergence of AI-driven cinema. It brought together filmmakers, technologists, and global audiences to explore how artificial intelligence reshapes storytelling, from production to aesthetics, positioning AI not as a shortcut but as a creative partner. With thousands of submissions from around the world and a growing international network of satellite events, the festival confirmed its role as a leading event for “Augmented Imagination”, while fostering debates on authorship, ethics and the future of cinematic expression.
WAIFF 2026 : A Landmark on the Global Stage
The 2026 edition of the World AI Film Festival has concluded with remarkable success, achieving a truly global impact and surpassing all expectations. Its defining moments, captured in images, stand as a testament to this success.
AI & FILMMAKER
Claude Lelouch and Mathieu Kassovitz rather than revisiting the familiar question of whether AI will replace artists, shared concrete experiences. Lelouch, preparing his 52nd film with AI-generated sequences, described AI as a new creative instrument, one that invites spontaneity, experimentation and risk.
Kassovitz, meanwhile, explained how AI has revived his long-standing project La Bête est morte, enabling new visual possibilities while easing financial and technical constraints. This exchange points to a deeper shift. Cinema is not entering a post artist era, but a more demanding one, where the power of tools compels creators to sharpen their vision, assert their voice, and redefine their role. In one word it raises the bar for what it means to be one.
Opening Gala : Claude Lelouche & Boléro, Music Before The algorithm.
Long before the rise of computers, Maurice Ravel composed a work based on repetition, gradual variation, and a constant crescendo. Rather than telling a narrative, the structure of Boléro reflects a computational loop : a fixed motif repeated with orchestration in perpetual evolution. In a unique act of cinematic reflexivity, the orchestral interpretation of Boléro, accompanied by excerpts from the films of Claude Lelouch, elevates the retrospective into a living and vibrant experience.
Exceptional concert for the 140th anniversary of Franco Korean relations
The Seocho Philharmonic Orchestra and the ARKO Ensemble, conducted by JongHoon Bae, brought a refined blend of artistic excellence and contemporary vision to Cannes. The program unfolds as a dialogue between cultures: Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso performed by rising violin prodigy Ria Kang, alongside a traditional gayageum sanjo interpreted by Seung Hee Yang. A luminous expression of Korea’s musical heritage and its enduring vitality.
WAIFF 2026
Toward the Orchestra of the Future : SYMPHONY OF A.I. & HUMAN.
A dialogue between precision, emotion, algorithm, and sensitivity.
Kang, alongside a traditional gayageum sanjo interpreted by Seung Hee Yang. A luminous expression of Korea’s musical heritage and its enduring vitality.
The innovation of Symphony of A.I. & Human lies in integrating artificial intelligence as a virtual percusionist, capable of performing in real time with human musicians. Performed by the Seocho Philharmonic Orchestra and the ARKO Ensemble, under the direction of Jong Hoon Bae, the work demonstrates how AI can follow the conductor’s tempo, respond to human musicians, produce precise and complex rhythms, and create an artistic dialogue between machine and musicians.
“Music You Can See, Images You Can Hear” : Béla Bartók Reinterpreted by AI
What do we truly see when we listen to music performed live on stage?
In collaboration with OOVIE Studio, under the direction of Marco Seco, and with Riccardo Acciarino on clarinet, the Seoul Orchestra, joined by Arco, performs the famous Romanian Folk Dances by Béla Bartók.. At the heart of this proposal lies a simple yet groundbreaking idea: creating a film in real time from a musical performance. As the musicians play, sound is no longer limited to being heard, it becomes visible.
Each performance thus becomes a unique, living, unrepeatable, and intensely expressive work of art.
AI, Music, and Cinema : Bakalov, Music as Memory
An exceptional world premiere inspired by Il Postino: set on a peaceful Mediterranean island, the story follows Mario, a humble and shy postman, who delivers mail to the exiled Chilean poet Pablo Neruda.
What begins as a simple task gradually turns into an unexpected and meaningful friendship. Through their encounters, Mario discovers the beauty of metaphor, the power of language, and a new way to express his emotions.
Featuring original music by Luis Bacalov, “Music to Movie” is an original short-film concept that captures the same poetic and emotional essence as the film.
