Cannes AI film festival raises eyebrows

The World AI Film Festival held its second edition in Cannes on April 21 and 22, a few weeks before the 79th Festival de Cannes opens on May 12. (worldaifilmfestival.com) (festival-cannes.com) WAiFF took place at the Palais des Festivals, the same Cannes venue used for the main festival, and billed itself as a showcase for films and audiovisual works made with artificial intelligence tools. (worldaifilmfestival.com) (filmfreeway.com) The event’s own listings said WAiFF 2026 drew nearly 5,500 film submissions from more than 80 countries. Its program included screenings, awards and “pro talks” with speakers including Nathalie Marchak and Joanna Popper. (cannesticket.com) (worldaifilmfestival.com) The main Cannes festival has not created a separate AI competition in its 2026 Official Selection. Its published regulations list the usual sections — In Competition, Un Certain Regard, Cannes Première and Special Screenings — without any AI category. (festival-cannes.com 1) (festival-cannes.com 2) Those rules also require rights holders to guarantee they have the rights needed to screen a film and to answer any third-party complaint over rights disputes. That matters for AI-made work because copyright ownership and training-data claims are still being fought across the industry. (festival-cannes.com) Cannes is not keeping artificial intelligence off the Croisette entirely. The Marché du Film said its AI for Talent Summit will return for a second year on May 15 and 16, focused on production workflows, ethics and education. (deadline.com) That leaves Cannes with two tracks in 2026: a side festival and market events testing AI filmmaking, and an Official Selection that still runs on its standard categories and eligibility rules. (worldaifilmfestival.com) (festival-cannes.com) (deadline.com) For now, AI cinema has a stage in Cannes and a crowd around it, but not a slot in the Palme d’Or race. (worldaifilmfestival.com) (festival-cannes.com)