This two-day symposium is part of a research project by the Cinema Department at ECAL focusing on the impact of artificial intelligence on cinema.
Artificial intelligence technologies are now playing an increasingly prominent role in discourse, as well as in creation practices, production and distribution of works, and in film education. This symposium therefore aims to shed light on the potential and challenges of these tools in order to understand how to use them — or decide not to — in full awareness, and to explore critical perspectives or possible alternative models. Discussions will also address the ethical and environmental issues raised by their development.
This inaugural meeting will bring together film professionals and researchers to collectively reflect on the transformations brought about by these new tools. Directors, producers, screenwriters, historians and philosophers will share their experiences of how AI — whether analytical or generative — is transforming and sometimes disrupting the film production chain, and how they are adapting to it.
These two days of presentations and discussions were conceived as the starting point for a research project led by the Cinema Department at ECAL. Three practical trials will follow from autumn 2026 onwards, with the aim of drawing lessons and making recommendations regarding the use of these tools. The trials and their results will be presented at a second symposium in spring 2027.
LecturersRoberto Beragnoli, Florence
Director, artist, and educator. He explores contemporary practices in design and digital technology and is currently producing a feature-length documentary created entirely by AI.
Gilles Gaillard, Paris
Director of Photography and former director of MIKROS (2013–2020). Founder and partner of the NIN9E Studio investment fund, he served as chair of the CNC’s "Commission modernisation de l’appareil de production".
Andrea Gatopoulos, Rome
Director, founder of Il Varco Cinema and the distribution company Gargantua Films, as well as the international residency program Nouvelle Bug dedicated to avant-garde cinema. He has taught at Stanford, the Doha Film Institute, and TorinoFilmLab.
Philippe Lasry, Paris
Screenwriter and Head of the Screenwriting Department at FEMIS (Paris).
Alice Leroy, Paris
Film historian and critic at Cahiers du Cinéma, specializing in contemporary imagery. She analyzes the aesthetic and political issues posed by technology, particularly AI.
André Ourednik, Lausanne
Philosopher, geographer, and science fiction author. His work lies at the intersection of the social sciences and fiction, exploring territories and data systems.
Nicolas Saada, Paris
Screenwriter and director of several feature films, including Espion(s) (2009) and Taj Mahal (2015), he is also a film critic.
Eva Thelisson, Lausanne
Executive director and co-founder of the AI Transparency Institute. She holds a Ph.D. in law focusing on data protection in the digital age. She has earned the CAIDP certification in AI policy.
Shiny Vallenas
, Lausanne
She studied law before pursuing a degree in photography at ECAL.
Morgane Baffier, Paris
Artist. Her work explores the nature of social media and the production of contemporary images, as well as the political and aesthetic issues surrounding digital technologies.
Tuesday, May 5
9am · Welcome
9:15am · Lecture Andrea Gatopoulos: Wearing Anti-AI Shoes
10am · Experience feedback Nicolas Saada: What I learn with AI
11am · Lecture André Ourednik: AI Geographies
Break
1:30pm · Lecture Eva Thelisson: Towards AI transparency
2:15pm · Experience feedback Shiny Vallenas: Fluids confusion
3:15pm · Roundtable: AI in the creative process — what’s the point? with Andrea Gatopoulos, Philippe Lasry, André Ourednik, Nicolas Saada, Shiny Vallenas
5pm · End
Wednesday, May 6
9am · Experience feedback Philippe Lasry: Practice and teaching of screenwriting in the age of AI
9:45am · Lecture Roberto Beragnoli: Non Existent Studio
10:45am · Lecture Gilles Gaillard: What are AIs made of?
Break
1:30pm · Lecture Alice Leroy: Ecological approaches to AI
2:15pm · Performed lecture Morgane Baffier: Lecture on A(m)I
3:15pm · Roundtable: How to Build Connections with AI? with Morgane Baffier, Roberto Beragnoli, Gilles Gaillard, Eva Thelisson, Shiny Vallenas
5pm · End
05–06.05.2026
Auditoire IKEA, ECAL
Avenue du Temple 5
1020 Renens
