Entertainment Marketing Summit @ Cannes Film Festival

Marc Sternberg, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Brand Innovators

Dianna Dilworth, Executive Editor, Brand Innovators

The director and producer of “Tangles” — an animated adaptation of Sarah Leavitt’s acclaimed graphic memoir about a family confronting dementia — discuss the process of translating deeply personal material into animation and collaborating with an ensemble cast on an intimate story about caregiving, memory and family connection.

Leah Nelson, Director

Lauren Miller Rogen, Producer

Moderated by: Katey Rich, Awards Editor, The Ankler

The Magnum Ice Cream Company talks about experiential marketing at the Cannes Film Festival, where the CPG brand unveils their vibrant summer campaign. This social-first effort blends indulgence, luxury and cinematic storytelling into a shareable digital experience.

Gayathri Renil, Global Magnum, Fame, Partnership & Experience Lead, The Magnum Ice Cream Company

Olivia Rudensky, Co-Founder & CEO, Fanmade

Tobias Sparnaaij, Global Marketing Lead, The Magnum Ice Cream Company

Moderated by:  Katie-Jo Flynn, Head of Consumer, Golin

Exploring how Nespresso is striking the right balance between authentic storytelling and meaningful education. This session will explore how the brand is using their summer campaign with Dua Lipa to deepen brand awareness, audience engagement and creating experiences that both inspire curiosity and deliver lasting value.

Michael Melmoe, Head of Brand Marketing, Nespresso UK & Ireland

Moderated by: Dianna Dilworth, Executive Editor, Brand Innovators

As AI transforms commerce from keyword-driven discovery to conversational, delegated decision-making, brands must rethink everything from digital shelf strategy to organizational structure. This panel explores how L’Oréal is adapting to a world where AI agents influence discovery, recommendations and purchase decisions across the consumer journey.

Beyza Kapu, Global Ecom Tech & Data Analytics Director, L’Oreal

Moderated by Dianna Dilworth, Executive Editor, Brand Innovators

From expanding international membership to navigating technological disruption and shifting audience habits, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is at the forefront of cinema’s global evolution. Its top leaders will discuss how the organization adapts to and drives change while maintaining the Oscars’ place at the center of worldwide film culture.

Bill Kramer, Chief Executive Officer

Lynette Howell Taylor, President

Meredith Shea, Chief Membership, Impact & Industry Officer

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences

Moderated by Katey Rich, Awards Editor, The Ankler

As independent financing models continue to reshape the movie business, two of the industry’s most influential dealmakers are helping define what gets made — and how. Green and Braun will discuss the evolving landscape of film finance, from packaging and private equity to international partnerships, streaming pressures and the challenges of backing ambitious storytelling in an increasingly uncertain marketplace.

Josh Braun, Co-Founder, Submarine Entertainment

Micah Green, Co-President and CEO, 30West

Jessica Lacy, Partner and Head of Film Finance and Distribution, Gersh

Moderated by Ashley Cullins, Dealmakers Columnist, The Ankler

This afternoon networking event will bring together creators, marketers, filmmakers and executives.

Networking & Happy Hour

Marc Sternberg, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Brand Innovators

Dianna Dilworth, Executive Editor, Brand Innovators

“Ashes (Ceniza en la boca)” follows a Mexican woman who moves to Spain with her younger brother to reunite with the mother who emigrated years earlier. Luna will reflect on his evolution as a director and the themes of identity and displacement that shape his work.

Diego Luna, Actor and Director, Ashes

Moderated by Katey Rich, Awards Editor, The Ankler

Set in late-1980s New York, the music-infused drama “The Man I Love” follows an actor confronting illness, mortality and the possibility of love and beauty in the midst of crisis. Sachs and Zacharias will discuss the influence of queer New York on his work and how the film captures a transformative cultural moment on screen.

Ira Sachs, Director

Mauricio Zacharias, Writer

Moderated by Katey Rich, Awards Editor, The Ankler

Based on Dexter Filkins’ New Yorker article, “Atonement” follows a troubled Marine haunted by a deadly incident during the Iraq War as he seeks out the surviving members of a family caught in the violence. Director Van Dyk and stars Holbrook and Gheed discuss the film’s exploration of guilt, memory and reconciliation.

Reed Van Dyk, Director, Producer & Writer

Boyd Holbrook, Actor

Gheed, Actor

Moderated by Katey Rich, Awards Editor, The Ankler

“Club Kid” captures the chaos and allure of a scene built on reinvention and performance. Writer-director-star Firstman and star Calva will discuss creating the distinct tone, shaping characters driven by ambition and desire, and capturing the intoxicating highs and emotional fallout of life inside an all-consuming cultural scene.

Diego Calva, Actor

Moderated by Katey Rich, Awards Editor, The Ankler

“Critterz,” the ambitious animated project exploring how AI tools can reshape filmmaking, has evolved from a short film into a larger creative experiment at the intersection of technology and storytelling. Filmmaker Nelson and producer Richardson will discuss how AI is changing the production process, where human creativity remains essential and what these emerging tools could mean for the future of Hollywood filmmaking.

Chad Nelson, Creative Director, OpenAI

James Richardson, Producer, Co-Founder, Vertigo Films, CEO, amersia 

Moderated by Ashley Cullins, Dealmakers Columnist, The Ankler

This afternoon networking event will bring together creators, marketers, filmmakers and executives.

Marc Sternberg, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Brand Innovators

Dianna Dilworth, Executive Editor, Brand Innovators

As artificial intelligence reshapes every stage of the filmmaking process, creators are exploring how new tools can expand what’s possible on screen while challenging long-held production models. Todorovic will discuss how AI is transforming visual effects, animation and virtual production, where the technology is opening new creative opportunities for filmmakers and why human storytelling and artistic vision remain central as Hollywood enters a new era of innovation.

Nikola Todorovic, co-founder of Wonder Dynamics, an Autodesk Company

Benjamin Michel, Co-Founder/Head of Studio, Asteria Film Co

Moderated by Ashley Cullins, Dealmakers Columnist, The Ankler

As traditional film financing continues to evolve, brands are becoming powerful partners in bringing stories to life. In this session Ingrid Bragemann, Executive Producer/Founder of Tantor Films and Actress/Producer Belen Soto will share how she worked with Peugeot, Latam Airlines, Mercado Pago and Enel to help finance the film Papi Ricky.

Ingrid Bragemann, Executive Producer/Founder, Tantor Films

Belen Soto, Actress/Producer, “Papi Ricky”

Moderated by Dianna Dilworth, Executive Editor, Brand Innovators

“Clarissa,” a reimagining of Virginia Woolf’s “Mrs. Dalloway” set in Lagos, unfolds over the course of a single evening and one pivotal party, as encounters from the past force its heroine to confront love, ambition and missed possibilities. The filmmakers and stars of the Directors’ Fortnight film discuss building their innovative adaptation’s emotionally layered world.

Arie and Chuko Esiri, Directors

Sophie Okonedo, Actor

David Oyelowo, Actor

Moderated by Katey Rich, Awards Editor, The Ankler

Set against the Belgian front during World War I, “Coward” follows a young soldier whose encounters behind the trenches open the door to unexpected forms of intimacy, performance and emotional refuge amid the devastation of war. Dhont will discuss the film’s exploration of masculinity, heroism and queer desire, as well as the challenge of balancing the brutality of combat with moments of tenderness, beauty and collective escape.

Lukas Dhont, Director and Writer

Moderated by Katey Rich, Awards Editor, The Ankler

As one of independent cinema’s most distinctive voices returns to filmmaking after nearly a decade, Stillman will discuss the making of “A Night at Claridge’s,” his new WWII drama set in 1940s England. From adapting Patrick Hamilton’s 1947 novel, The Slaves of Solitude, for the screen to exploring class, isolation and social tension in the months building up to D-Day, the conversation will examine how the filmmaker brings his signature wit and observational style to a dark and emotionally complex narrative.

Whit Stillman, Director, Writer

Moderated by Katey Rich, Awards Editor, The Ankler