An international panel of researchers and practitioners will discuss the road that the film industry is travelling in working with artificial intelligence and its impact on the near future at the Cannes UK pavilion on Sunday May 18.
The discussion will be led by David Defendi, a writer, screenwriter and film director, and founder of France’s Genario, an artificial intelligence platform dedicated to screenwriting and literary writing; Katharina Gellein Viken, a pioneer in AI-driven filmmaking; Graham Jack, chief technology officer at visual effects and technology company beloFX, operating in Canada, the UK and India; and Rachel Lyske, a leader in the field of AI-based music.
“We believe AI shouldn’t be a weapon for consolidation but a tool for liberation,” said Defendi. ”Auteur cinema, experimental forms, radical narratives – these aren’t killed by AI. They’re killed by fear, rising costs, and the creative paralysis of big studios and TV networks. AI can break that grip. It can empower new voices and resurrect risky films that would otherwise never exist.
“But let’s be clear: this isn’t just a technical revolution – it’s a cultural and political battle. And one frontline is copyright. What OpenAI did to creators’ rights is a scandal. At Genario, we chose another path: we signed the first-ever agreement with [French writers guild] SACD in France to protect authors’ rights in the age of AI. That’s the direction we believe in.”
“I’m hoping this panel can bring nuance into the conversation and move beyond framing AI as something inherently good or bad,” added beloFX’s Jack. ”In my experience, the creative industries — and especially visual effects — have always been defined by a mix of creative and technical people finding solutions to storytelling problems by embracing new technologies. That said, we’re clearly looking at a technology with unprecedented transformative potential, and it’s important that we have frameworks to support and encourage innovation, while also respecting the rights of IP owners.”
Also taking place is a discussion on the rise of indigenous language in film at 14:00 with Kneecap co-producer and distributor Patrick O’Neill of Ireland’s Wildcard; Emanuele Galloni, head of content at My Culture, a platform dedicated to storytelling in minority and indigenous languages; and Mitchell Stanley of No Coincidence Media, a producer from the New South Wales Aboriginal group, Wiradjuri. Plus, two international co-production case studies on Chris Andrews’ Ireland-UK-Belgium co-production Bring Them Down and UK-New Zealand co-pro Lomu are set to take place at 16:00.
On Monday, the UK pavilion concludes, with a discussion on how genre films travel across borders with XYZ Films’ Todd Brown, Mer Films’ Maria Ekerhovd, New Europe Film Sales; Katarzyna Siniarska and Escape Plan Productions producer Oliver Kassman at 11:30; a talent talk with the teams behind immersive projects Trailblazer and tAxI at 14:00; and a talent talk with Harry Lighton, the filmmaker behind Un Certain Regard world premiere Pillion at 16:00.
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