What is confirmed, and what still needs checking?
The official Florence AI Festival website confirms the date and venue for the first edition, powered by VIA — Visual Innovation Awards. Its visitor information says ticket details are coming soon and that session times will be announced separately. These details were checked on 27 October 2026.
For planning, keep two columns in a note: confirmed information and questions to resolve. Put the date, venue and official links in the first. Put admission arrangements, individual screening times and the practical needs of your visit in the second. This avoids turning a save-the-date announcement into a schedule that the festival has not published.
Treat a ticket, a film entry and a selection as different steps
If you want to attend, follow the ticket information on the festival website. If you want your film considered, use the Florence AI Festival listing on FilmFreeway, which the official site identifies as the submission destination. A film entry is not the same action as booking a place in the audience.
For a team, decide who is following which process. One person can track the submission and its messages, while another checks the arrangements for attending. Record confirmations when they arrive rather than assuming that an entry, a selection notification or a general festival announcement settles every question about access.
Check your film against the published requirements
The FilmFreeway rules currently specify a maximum of 20 minutes including credits, English subtitles for films not in English, and an AI Statement of 100–300 words describing tools, workflow and their contribution. The listing gives 15 December 2026 as the extended deadline and 15 January 2027 as the notification date. Recheck the full listing before entering; these are selected requirements, not a complete eligibility checklist.
Make a short comparison sheet with the requirement, where you verified it and what remains to do. Measure the finished export rather than estimating the runtime from a rough cut. Test the screener link from a signed-out browser. Read the category description alongside your film’s central idea, and verify the current fee and complete terms before submitting.
For the AI Statement, be precise about which parts you generated and which decisions you made. Avoid a list of product names with no explanation of their role. Keep your synopsis, credits and stills consistent across the entry and your festival press kit, so an organiser does not have to resolve competing versions of basic information.
Plan the journey around the venue, then the published timetable
Use the venue address when checking your route, rather than a generic search for events in Florence. The festival website links to a map and provides a calendar download. Its calendar note makes clear that saving the day does not establish session times.
Once a timetable is published, work backwards from the session you want to attend. Allow time for the journey, finding the entrance and any admission process the organiser specifies. Until those details are available, avoid treating an imagined start or finish time as a confirmed travel constraint.
- Ask about step-free access, seating or other access needs that matter to your visit; do not infer them from photographs of the venue.
- Check language and subtitle information for the sessions you choose.
- Confirm whether admission covers the whole day or specific sessions when ticket information is released.
- Keep the official event link with your booking notes so you can check changes close to the visit.
Use the waiting period to decide what you want to explore
Choose one reason to attend: discovering films, understanding a creative approach, meeting collaborators or learning how work changes on a shared screen. When the programme appears, that intention will help you select sessions without trying to see everything.
There is already work to explore elsewhere in the VIA network. Rome AI Festival presents its completed September 2026 edition, while Prompt2Screen shares the films from its completed Torino edition. Use these as archives for discovery, not as announcements of the Florence line-up. Milan AI Festival maintains its own programme and participation information.
After viewing a film, write one question about an observable choice: the moment an edit changes the story, how sound shapes a space, or what a character leaves unsaid. That gives you something concrete to bring to future conversations without assuming how the filmmaker used AI.
Three useful actions now
- Save 15 February 2027 with Palazzo San Niccolò and the official festival link.
- If submitting, read the current FilmFreeway requirements and track the outstanding work for your film.
- If attending, keep ticket and session details on your follow-up list until they are announced.
This is a VIA Editorial planning guide, not a ticket offer or a selection promise. The festival website and its linked submission page remain the sources for current arrangements. Explore the VIA network guide to understand how its festivals, awards and filmmaking formats connect.