A Film Festival in Abidjan Is Offering Ten West and Central African Countries a Route to Cannes in 2027
WAIFF Africa in Abidjan is open to creators from ten Francophone West and Central African countries, and its five jury-selected films advance to the WAIFF Cannes 2027 Road to Cannes Selection.
A filmmaker in Dakar, Lagos or Ouagadougou who has been making AI-assisted shorts has a rare thing on offer this winter: a regional festival built for them, with a defined path to a European stage. WAIFF Africa, the Abidjan edition of the World AI Film Festival, is taking submissions until 31 December 2026, and its jury will pick five films to move forward.
The festival itself takes place in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, on 6 February 2027. Those five films advance to the WAIFF Cannes 2027 Road to Cannes Selection. That is the whole prize as published: a festival selection and an onward step, not money. Eligibility is tightly drawn, which means the field is far smaller than in a global open call.
What you submit
The official contest listing names three categories: short film, documentary and music video. Fully AI-generated films are eligible, as are hybrid works that mix AI with live-action footage. Any AI tool is allowed, so you are not tied to a particular generator or editing pipeline.
Two conditions apply to every entry. English subtitles are required, which matters if you are working in French or a local language. And unauthorised deepfakes of real people are not allowed, so any likeness of an actual person needs permission behind it.
Entries go through the festival's own site at the WAIFF Abidjan page. Submissions opened on 24 September 2026.
Who can enter
This is a regional call, and the page is specific. You must be a creator of, or legally resident in, one of ten countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Nigeria, Senegal, Chad or Togo. If you hold a passport from one of them but live elsewhere, the wording suggests you qualify as a creator of that country, though anyone with doubts should check with the organisers before paying attention to anything else.
Prize structure
The published reward is festival selection. The five films chosen by the jury advance to the Road to Cannes Selection at WAIFF Cannes 2027. The page states plainly that no cash prize is published. There is no mention of credits, funding or equipment either, so treat this as a visibility and access opportunity rather than a payday.
Terms worth reading
The entry fee is not published on the contest page, so it is unclear whether entry is free. Confirm that on the official entry page before you start preparing a submission. The listing also does not set out licensing, screening rights or ownership terms. Before you submit, read the festival's full rules for any licence granted to the organisers, any requirement to keep the work offline during judging, and what advancing to Cannes would ask of you in return.
On the plus side, the format rules are simple and the tool choice is yours.
Practical notes
The deadline is 31 December 2026. No cutoff time or timezone is published, so submit with a day in hand rather than aiming for midnight on New Year's Eve. Build in time for the English subtitles, which are easy to leave until last. The listing was last verified on 4 October 2026, so check the festival site for any late changes.