“Warped Memories” won the WAIFF Brazil 2026 grand prize and heads to Cannes. The festival drew 400 films and 30+ hours of AI debate.
The World AI Film Festival (WAIFF) held its first Brazilian edition on February 27 and 28 at FAAP university in São Paulo. Over two days, the event generated more than 30 hours of content through talks, panels, round tables, workshops and case presentations, all focused on the role of artificial intelligence as a creative tool in film, advertising and streaming.
WAIFF is part of a global network of AI-focused film festivals. After Brazil, the circuit moves on to Japan, South Korea, China, France, Argentina and Canada.
Opening day sets the tone
The opening ceremony brought together WAIFF founder Marco Landi; the French cultural attaché in Brazil, Brieuc Tanguy-Guermeur; actress and producer Jacqueline Sato, who served as jury president; and Ana Paula Montini, CEO of SPCine, São Paulo’s public film company.
Artificial Intelligence will not replace human creativity — it is one more complementary tool. Ana Paula Montini, CEO of SPCine
Montini drew a historical parallel: “The audiovisual sector has always been shaped by technology. It is natural for new developments — as it happened with color film and subtitles — to raise questions and even fears. But anticipating trends is part of this industry. AI will not replace human creativity; it is one more complementary tool.”
Globo brings AI journalism to the stage
One of the first day’s standout panels featured Globo, Brazil’s largest media company, with Carlos Octávio Queiroz, Director of Data, AI, Architecture and Partnerships; Renato Franzini, editorial director of news portal G1; and Clarissa Cavalcanti, executive editor of journalism innovation. The session was moderated by Ben-Hur Correia.
This is a cultural transformation — and it is only happening because the people who actually produce content are the ones using these tools. Carlos Octávio Queiroz, Director of Data and AI at Globo
Friday closed with artist and TV director Tadeu Jungle, artist and FAU-USP professor Giselle Beiguelman, and ECA-USP AI specialist Marcelo Muller, who broke down the filmmaking process in the age of AI — from research to post-production.
Human presence in cinema is essential. An idea, a scene, a drawing is not a film. A film is a screenplay — not just a prompt. Tadeu Jungle, artist and TV director
Day two: advertising, cinema and awards
On Saturday, advertising legend Nizan Guanaes — who is set to launch an AI platform for the advertising market — took the stage to champion the technology’s creative potential. “AI gives you the opportunity to live many lives, to empower people and their dreams. Nothing feeds the creative mind more than AI, because the creative process thrives on diverse experiences,” he said.
The panel “AI and Major Film Productions” brought together producer Fabiano Gullane, filmmaker Tata Amaral and FAAP Cinema course coordinator Humberto Neiva. Gullane emphasized the industry’s responsibility: “Technology is welcome, and we are seeing how fast it moves. I was impressed by the animation results in the competition. But the industry also has a responsibility to stay current on how these platforms are used.”
“Warped Memories” wins big and heads to Cannes
The festival closed with the Competitive Showcase awards ceremony. More than 400 films were submitted, with each entry required to use at least three generative AI tools, including at least one dedicated to image generation. Eleven categories were awarded, including Feature Film, Vertical Series, Advertising, Animation and Best Director.
“Warped Memories”, directed by Pedro Bayeux, took home both Best Film and Best Documentary. The film will be screened at the French edition of WAIFF in Cannes, with SPCine covering the director’s travel expenses.
WAIFF Brazil director Carlos “Cebola” Guedes confirmed the event’s return in 2027 and announced two more international editions for 2026: WAIFF Argentina in September, followed by an edition in Vancouver, Canada.
We worked very hard to make everything go right, and next year we will definitely be back. We are also announcing two more confirmed WAIFF editions around the world this year: WAIFF Argentina in September, and then an edition in Vancouver, Canada. Carlos “Cebola” Guedes, WAIFF Brazil director
WAIFF Brazil 2026 was sponsored by CloudWalk, CaisRoom Platform, SPCine, MiniMax and CapCut, with support from Elle magazine, BRAVI, Grupo Papaki, the French Embassy and Ampfy.
Photo: Divulgação
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