PANEL 1 | AI in the Service of Cinematic Creativity

AI, cinema’s new muse?
Filmmaking with AI: tool or revolution?
How are directors embracing AI in the creative process, and what are the artistic and ethical boundaries?

With:
Claude Lelouch (Director and Honorary President of the Festival)
Julie Gayet (Actress and Producer)
Anna Apter (Director)
Simon Bouisson (Director)

Moderator:
Eric Lentulo (Director of Communications and Marketing, Genario)

PANEL 2 | New Roles, New Workflows

Backstage revolution: how is AI redefining jobs in film and audiovisual production?

Creating with AI: what skills will shape the cinema of tomorrow? How are studios and producers adapting to these changes?

With:
Alexia Laroche-Joubert (CEO, Banijay France)
Marianne Carpentier (Director of Emerging Technologies, TF1 Group)
Ludovic Place (Director, ESIS ISA ISFJ / Skolae Group)
Gilles Guerraz (Director, Founder of Prompt Club)

Moderator:
David Defendi (CEO, Genario)

PANEL 3 | AI and Film Financing

How is AI reinventing film financing?
Financing cinema in the age of AI: opportunities and challenges.
How are AI and blockchain reshaping the industry's economic models?

With:
Jean-David Blanc (CEO, Molotov)
Sébastien Praicheux (Lawyer, Norton Rose Fulbright)
Jean-Baptiste Babin (Founding Partner, Backup Media)
Pauline Augrain (Director of Digital, CNC)

Moderator:
Eric Lentulo (Director of Communications and Marketing, Genario)

PANEL 4 | Copyright and AI

Copyright and AI: towards a new legal framework?
Are creators at risk?
AI-assisted creation: opportunity or threat to authors?
This panel will address the critical issue of protecting creative works in the face of AI advancements.

With:
Pascal Rogard (Managing Director, SACD)
Xavier Lemarchand (Director of AI Coordination and Integration, INA)
Noël Esnault (CEO, ReCut)
Patrick Kuban (Actor, Performer, Artist)
Alexandra Bensamoun (Member of the Interministerial AI Commission, Lawyer)

Moderator:
David Defendi (CEO, Genario)

PANEL 5 | Filmmakers Speak

The SRF invites you to a conversation between four filmmakers on how AI is influencing their approach to directing.
Founded in 1968, the SRF – the French Directors’ Guild – represents over 500 filmmakers working across short, medium, and feature-length films, whether in fiction, documentary, or animation. It advocates for artistic and moral freedom, and defends the professional and economic interests of cinematic creation.

With:
Thomas Bidegain (Screenwriter, Director)
Bertrand Bonello (Director, Screenwriter, Composer / Co-President of the SRF)
Axelle Ropert (Screenwriter, Director)
Thomas Coispel (Documentary Filmmaker, Researcher)

Moderator:
David Defendi (CEO, Genario)

BONUS | Demo Talks – Startups Space

WAIFF is more than just a festival:
it’s a platform for reflection, exchange, and collaboration.

An unmissable event to discover how AI is transforming today’s cinema – and shaping the cinema of tomorrow!