LeleKai International Fest — Press Release
Human Creativity × AI
We do not choose between the human and the machine. We choose authorship.
LeleKai keeps creativity human while the instrument becomes artificial intelligence. The festival opens its first international Open Call on 1 September 2026 and ends with a finale in Cannes in May 2027.
Who will author the future that AI is building?
The world has entered an era where artificial intelligence sits inside the creative process, in film, art, science and education. The question is no longer what AI can do. The question is who remains its author.
LeleKai International Fest is an international platform for a new generation of creators. It unites cinema, art, science, education and new media on a single principle: AI extends the reach of human creativity and does not replace it. The finale takes place in Cannes in May 2027.
MEDIA QUOTE
“LeleKai is a platform built around a single question: who will create the future that AI is creating. The human being has to stay the author of that change, and never a bystander to it.”
— LeleKai International Fest
CONTEXT
On 9 April 2026 the Festival de Cannes ruled that films driven by generative AI cannot compete for the Palme d’Or, and framed the decision as a statement about what cinema is. In the same period several European nations, France among them, began reconsidering how the next generation meets the digital world. LeleKai starts between these two movements. It does not reject AI, and it does not accept AI without conditions. It makes authorship, responsibility and taste the terms of the digital age.
HOW THE COMPETITION WORKS
In place of conventional categories: Creative Worlds. Eleven living tracks that explore different forms of dialogue between people and AI, across film, animation, art, fashion, music, gaming, impact, brands, science, education, and an open World for work beyond genre.
The competition runs in two stages:
— September 1 – November 15, 2026 — Open Call. New projects, previously published works and third-party nominated entries are all eligible.
— December 2026 — Semi-final and finalist selection. Strasbourg, France.
— May 2027, Cannes — Finalists present new work made for the finale, and the category winners are chosen there.
Participation is open to authors of any age and experience, from students of 13 to professional studios.
FACT SHEET
Name — LeleKai International Fest
Format — International festival and Open Call for AI-driven creativity
Tracks — Cinema, animation, art, fashion, music, games, impact, brands, science, education, open
Finale location — Cannes, France
Finale date — May 2027
Open Call — September 1 – November 15, 2026
Semi-final — December 2026, Strasbourg, France
Participants — Authors aged 13+, students, professionals, studios and researchers worldwide
Judging principle — The strength of the authorial vision, never the amount of AI in a project
ABOUT THE FESTIVAL (for publication use)
LeleKai International Fest is an international cultural and educational platform that brings human creativity and artificial intelligence together across film, art, science and education. The finale takes place in Cannes. LeleKai is independent and is not affiliated with the Festival de Cannes.
The festival builds an international community of authors working out how authorship changes in the age of AI, and holds open a space where technology widens the language of creativity instead of replacing the artist.
PRESS CONTACT
LeleKai International Fest Press Office
Cannes, France · 20AI