Check the edition before preparing the pack
Checked 6 September 2026. Start with the edition you can enter, then match its format and disclosure requirements to your film.
- WAIFF Cannes 2026: submissions closed. The production-PDF and category rules below are a reference for that edition. Check a new call before reusing them. Official competition page.
- AAIFF 2026: published registration window ends 7 September. Minimum three-minute film; AI must be integral. Confirm the current form and closing time with the organiser; the cited terms do not specify an hour or timezone. Official 2026 terms.
- Tribeca: select the actual programme and edition. The cited 2026 general rules are a rights reference, not evidence of an open AI-specific call or the next edition’s eligibility.
Download the festival submission pack (.md) Fill in the edition, pipeline, permissions and delivery checks. It includes a labelled example and a blank working copy; it is not an official form or an automatically generated festival PDF.
WAIFF Cannes: production PDF and a multi-tool pipeline
The published competition page requires a production file explaining AI use and at least three generative tools, including one for image creation. It also lists category-specific formats: shorts run 5–10 minutes, features at least 25 minutes, micro-series have 4–6 episodes under two minutes each in 9:16, and advertising entries run at most three minutes and feature a fictional product or service. Films must be in English or include English subtitles.
Make the pipeline easy to inspect: name each tool, say which stage it served, and connect it to an example from the submitted cut. A list of logos is less useful than a short explanation of what you actually did. Check the full rules and selected category alongside this page.
AAIFF: disclosure plus a playable, eligible submission
AAIFF 2026 requires a film of at least three minutes with generative AI integral to its creation. At submission, disclose the models and pipeline and credit contributors; incomplete or false disclosure can lead to disqualification. Its terms also require rights and consent assurances covering the work and compliance with the tools’ terms. Choose the section too: the thematic competition requires a work made during the eligibility period for its annual theme; the open section accepts other themes and previously completed work.
The delivery details matter: embed English subtitles in the video, provide a public or unlisted YouTube link or an accessible Google Drive file, and keep access working through judging. YouTube entries need the specified #SpecialForAAIFF hashtag in the description. These are entry requirements, not fields a production log can satisfy on its own.
Tribeca: read the actual programme’s rights terms
The linked Tribeca 2026 general Rules and Regulations contain no AI-specific production-file clause. They do contain rights warranties. Do not turn that finding into a claim that every Tribeca programme or later edition has no AI policy. Check the programme you enter and retain the permissions relevant to your film, including source footage, music, voices and likenesses where applicable.
Our eight-part production-file checklist
This is our suggested working structure, not an official festival form or a guarantee of acceptance. It gives the person preparing the entry one place to check the production account against the rules.
- Entry identity. Record the festival, edition, category, rules URL, date checked and submitted film version.
- Tools and models. Name the tools actually used, model versions where exposed, and each tool’s role.
- Pipeline. Explain the stages from references and generation through edit, sound and final export.
- Representative shots. Keep the prompt, input files, selected output and material revisions for shots that explain your method.
- Human contribution and credits. Describe the creative decisions and list contributors accurately.
- Rights and permissions. Link applicable source licences, tool terms and releases; mark unresolved questions for review.
- Disclosure. Write a specific account of what was generated, filmed, licensed or edited, and match it to the entry form.
- Delivery check. Test duration, subtitles, aspect ratio, links and access, then retain the submission receipt with the exact export.
Build the pack around one submitted version
A useful rehearsal is to give the pack and film to someone who did not produce them. Ask them to identify the generation pipeline, locate a permission, and open the correct cut. Fix the gaps they find before extending the same structure to the rest of the film.
Behind The Workflow is built to keep assets with the prompts, references, versions and decisions your team adds. Use it to organize that production context, then adapt the export and accompanying documents to the festival’s requirements. The team still prepares the disclosure, checks permissions and completes the submission. See what a production record can and cannot prove before describing it as evidence.