The event, organized by 2WATCH Group, WAIFF and Giffoni Innovation Hub with the patronage of the Municipality of Naples and the collaboration of the Campania Film Commission, is part of a global circuit that includes 12 international stages, including Beijing, Buenos Aires, Seoul and Sao Paulo. The journey will end in April 2027 with the Grand Finale hosted at the Palais des Festivals in Cannes, where the works awarded in the Neapolitan stage will be screened.
Registrations to participate in the official selection are open to directors, authors, studios and production companies through the official festival portal worldaifilmfestival.com. The regulation allows both productions entirely generated by artificial intelligence and hybrid works in which technology has played a significant role.
The competition is divided into five categories: Best AI Short Filmreserved for short films with a duration between 3 and 40 minutes, Best AI Feature Film, dedicated to feature films lasting 40 minutes or more (fiction, documentaries and animation), Best AI Micro Seriesfocused on serial narratives in 9:16 vertical format (4 to 6 episodes, each between 30 seconds and 3 minutes), Best Animation Short Filmaimed at animated shorts between 3 and 40 minutes and Best AI Advertising & Branded Contentintended for advertising content and brand communications lasting from 30 seconds to 5 minutes.
Each application must be accompanied by a detailed production journal, a document that certifies the technical process and describes the technological tools used during the development phases. The participation fee is set at 10 euros for each project sent.
The festival will take place over two days of activities. The first day, called Industry Daywill propose a calendar of debates, insights and meetings dedicated to professionals in the audiovisual sector: broadcasters, communication agencies, production houses and technology companies will discuss the change in narrative languages and advertising.
The second day will focus on the presentation of the shortlist of finalists to the public and the final awards ceremony. A jury of five experts, made up of directors, performers and professionals from the advertising sector, will assign the awards by evaluating the narrative quality, aesthetic precision, emotional impact and effectiveness in the integration of digital technologies.
The convergence between emerging technologies and artistic expression raises questions about the skills necessary to guide this transformation and the guarantees to be reserved for human creativity. “We wanted to bring WAIFF to Naples because artificial intelligence is already changing the way stories are written, produced and reached the public, and those who work in this sector need a place to see what really works“, said Fabrizio Perrone, Founder & CEO of 2WATCH Group. “We know that technology alone is not enough: we need ideas, skills and someone who takes responsibility for the result. It is no coincidence that the competition also looks at vertical microseries and branded content, alongside cinema: these are the formats in which much of what people watch today is created“.
He expressed his opinion on the training opportunities offered to young authors Marco Landi, founder of WAIFF: “Technology is not what matters most: we are looking for human stories to tell in an inhuman world. We appeal to young people, who today can more easily create films with the help of artificial intelligence, to tell stories capable of expressing their world, their dreams and their emotions. Through the “Road to Cannes”, WAIFF will give them visibility and help them become the creators of tomorrow“.
Luca Tesauro, Founder & Chairman of Giffoni Innovation Hub, spoke on the level of production ethics and the protection of intellectual property: “As a production company, we believe it is important to explore the possibilities offered by new tools, keeping the authors’ vision, professional skills and respect for rights and creative work central. Artificial intelligence can support traditional production and open up new expressive possibilities, without replacing what makes a work authentic: the quality of the story, the ability to excite and the originality of the gaze on the world“.