The program - WAIFF

THE 2026
PROGRAM

IN CANNES

PARTICIPATE

IN THE NEW
WAVE!

This year, the World A.I. Film Festival opened its doors to all audiences at the heart of A.I. and filmmaking. For two days in Cannes, people discovered the new frontiers of A.I.-powered creation across four iconic venues: the Palais des Festivals, the Marriott Hotel, the Espace Miramar, and Les Arcades cinema. We were happy to see you there!

TUESDAY 21 APRIL

FESTIVAL OPENING

ESPACE MIRAMAR

Morning & Afternoon - Pro Talks

10:00 – 10:30: OFFICIAL OPENING

10:30 – 11:00: KEYNOTE – JEAN-MICHEL JARRE

AI : Augmented Imagination

11:15 – 12:00: PANEL 1 – ARTISTIC CREATION

12:05 – 12:30: AWARD – BEST A.I. SOUNDTRACK

12:30 – 15:30: LUNCH / NETWORKING (VIP)

15:30 – 16:00: KEYNOTE MATTHIEU KASSOVITZ

Hybrid films

16:00 – 16:50: PANEL 2 – FINANCIAL MODELS

17:00 – 17:25: AWARD – BEST ADVERTISING A.I. FILM

17:30: END OF PRO TALKS

BREAK BEFORE TRANSFER TO THE PALAIS DES FESTIVALS

TUESDAY 21 APRIL

EVENING EVENTS

PALAIS DES FESTIVALS

18:30: VIP Entry Opens • Lounge “Orchestre Debussy”

18:30 – 19:00: Private Keynote with Gaëtan Bruel

19:00 – 21:00: Dinner in the VIP area

20:00: General admission open

20:30 – 23:15: Gala Evening

Film Screenings
Awards
A.I. Concert

21:00 – 22:30: Ceremony

Musical interlude after the presentation of two awards

22:30: Estimated end time

Access reserved for:

Pro Talks speakers
Accredited professionals
Official Jury
Sponsors, partners, and VIP guests
Institutional representatives

WEDNESDAY 22 APRIL

Panels & keynotes

ESPACE MIRAMAR

Awards Day
Morning & Afternoon Pro Talks

10:00 – 10:30 : Keynote Johann Choron

10:30 – 11:15 : PANEL 3 – Legal Framework, Intl Issues

Legal Framework, International Issues

11:25 – 12:00 : Award Best Micro-Serie

with CANNESERIES Festival

12:00 – 12:45 : Panel 4 – Building an Ai Studio

12:30 – 15:30 : Lunch / Networking (VIP)

15:30 – 15:50 : Award Best AI Screenplay

with GENARIO

15:50 : End of Pro Talks — Day 2

Break before transfer to the Palais des Festivals

WEDNESDAY 22 APRIL

Evening Events

palais des festivals

Awards Day
Networking & Ceremony

18:00 VIP Entry Opens : Lounge “Orchestre Debussy”

18:30 – 19:00 : Cocktails in the VIP area

19:00 : General admission

19:30 – 21:30 : Ceremony

with a musical interlude after presentation of two awards

20:30 : Closing Gala – Théâtre Debussy

Official WAIFF 2026 Awards Ceremony

Closing : robot dance performance set to music by Jean-Michel Jarre

After the ceremony: grand VIP dinner

Official Awards

Access reserved for:

Short Films Awards Emotion, Fantasy, Action & Animation
Feature Film Award +25 minutes length
Palmares Gala Evening

OFFICIAL ROUTE

KEY SITES

WOMEN WERE HEADLINING THE
WAiFF 2026,

in Cannes!

Two legendary artists—Chinese actress Gong Li and French actress-director-screenwriter Agnès Jaoui – were leading this must-see international A.I. film event. They will be joined by an exceptional jury to be announced soon.

Winner of the Volpi Cup in Venice
Appointed as president or jury member at major festivals worldwide, including Cannes, Venice, Berlin and Shanghai
Honored as Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in France

Honorary César (2024)
César for Best Film (2001)
César for Best Supporting Actress (1998)

Claude Lelouch has been lighting up world cinema for over 60 years. a visionary director of “un homme et une femme” and 50 other films, he constantly pushes the boundaries, combining innovation and emotion. he chairs the world ai film festival to champion human creativity.

The Jury

WAiFF

2026

Agnès Jaoui, a renowned French director, screenwriter, and actress, subtly explores human relationships, unspoken truths, and aspects of everyday life. Her films blend humor, sensitivity, and social commentary with profound humanity.

Aïssa Maïga is a French actress known for her leading roles in films such as *Les Poupées Russes*, *L’un reste l’autre part*, *Bamako* (for which she received a César nomination for Best Young Actress), *L’Avocat*, *Poet à tout*, *Bienvenue à Marly-Gomont*, and *Il a déjà tes yeux*. She has also performed on stage and won the Best Actress award at the Luchon Television Festival in 2013.

Kavan, professionally known as Kavan the Kid, is a Los Angeles, California-based film director and AI filmmaker. Combining traditional filmmaking skills with cutting-edge AI technologies, Kavan has gained recognition for his bold and innovative work that transcends genres and appeals to a global audience.

Roger Avary is a director, screenwriter, and producer. His collaboration with Quentin Tarantino on Pulp Fiction earned him an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. Renowned for his hard-hitting narrative style and dark humor, Avary has also directed and written several films (Lucky Day, Silent Hill), establishing himself as a unique voice in contemporary cinema.

Reza is an award-winning filmmaker, renowned for his bold and hybrid works, which have been screened at Sundance, Cannes, and Tribeca, including A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night. He is also a pioneer of AI-generated cinema and co-founder of the generative AI studio Massive Studios. His work reflects a hybrid identity where cultures, histories, and aesthetics meet and intertwine.

An Italian film and television producer, he has over twenty years of experience in international audiovisual production. Specializing in premium fiction, he contributed to major series at Sky Italia such as Gomorrah and The Young Pope. He has also produced recent hits, including Tre di Troppo and Il mio nome è Vendetta, which is very popular on Netflix.

Joanna Popper is an award-winning producer at the intersection of storytelling, innovation, and AI. She develops projects that blend live-action footage with creative technologies, which have been presented at Sundance and Adobe MAX. Co-founder of SatireAI, she has produced over 30 award-winning short films and held key positions at CAA, NBCUniversal, HP, and Singularity University.

A leading French actress, Elsa Zylberstein has built a rich career spanning both auteur cinema and mainstream productions. Winner of the César Award for Best Supporting Actress, she recently portrayed Simone Veil on screen.

Nam Na-young is a leading South Korean film editor, best known for her work on Squid Game. She has edited over 60 films and collaborated with major Korean directors (Hwang Dong-hyeok – Squid Game, Kim Jee-woon – I Saw the Devil), playing a key role in the evolution of contemporary Korean cinema.

Depuis 2005, Serge Hayat cofonde et préside les Soficas Cinémage, finançant près de 600 films primés. En 2015, il devient associé de Fédération Studios, présent dans huit pays et produisant de nombreuses séries. En 2024, il cofonde Ozma Labs, studio transmédia innovant, explorant web2 et web3 pour répondre aux mutations du divertissement contemporain et mondial.

Ruby Yang is an Academy Award-winning filmmaker, born in Hong Kong, who has worked for over 35 years between the United States, Beijing, and Hong Kong. Renowned for the power of her storytelling in both documentary and fiction films, she received the 2007 Academy Award for Best Documentary Short Subject.