As artificial intelligence transforms the media and entertainment industry, the 2026 Altera Festival prepares to bring together leaders in technology, filmmaking, and creative innovation for two days of conversations, screenings, workshops, and immersive experiences exploring the future of storytelling.
Taking place June 16–17, 2026, the two-day festival combines a business-focused AI Summit and a creator-driven Cinema Experience, offering attendees practical insights and strategies for enterprise adoption alongside an exploration of how generative AI is reshaping filmmaking, media, entertainment, and culture. The full Festival program is available HERE. Tickets start at $79 and are available at www.alterafestival.com.
The two-day festival is intentionally designed around two distinct audiences and objectives. Day 1’s AI Summit focuses on enterprise adoption, bringing together marketing leaders, creative production teams, and in-house legal professionals to explore the commercial realities of generative media, governance, and scalable implementation. Day 2 shifts to the creative frontier, examining how filmmakers, artists, designers, musicians, game developers, and technologists are using AI to reshape storytelling, entertainment, and culture.
“I started Altera because Atlanta should be at the forefront of this creative technology revolution, not watching it happen from the sidelines,” said Natalia Gonzalez, Founder and CEO of Altera Festival. “We have the infrastructure, the film ecosystem, the music, the tech, and most importantly the creatives. Altera is the first step in making sure this city leads.”
“Altera Festival is about more than technology, it’s about the creators, innovators, and storytellers who are redefining how ideas come to life,” said Elizabeth Kealoha, Co-Founder of Altera Festival. “Atlanta is one of the country’s most dynamic and creative cities where film, music, gaming, technology, and entrepreneurship intersect every day. We’re excited to bring those communities together to spark new ideas, foster collaboration, and showcase the talent and innovation of this city.”
TUES, JUNE 16 | ALTERA FESTIVAL DAY 1 | 8 A.M.–4 P.M.
MODEx Studio | 3005 Peachtree Rd. | Atlanta, Ga. 30305
Full festival program available here.
The 2026 Altera Festival opens with a focus on “The Commercial Reality of Generative Media,” bringing together three critical enterprise stakeholders — brand storytellers and marketing leaders, creative production and execution teams, and in-house legal professionals — to explore how organizations can leverage generative AI for communications and content creation at scale. Focused on enterprise adoption and commercial-grade execution, an in-depth look at the operational strategies shaping the post-AI landscape, the session moves past industry hype to address the practicalities of commercial execution by examining how organizations restructure creative workflows, optimize content unit economics, and measure AI performance while safeguarding brand identity.
Additional sessions throughout the day will feature executives, creators, and technical experts specializing in generative media. Discussions will focus on how global brands, studios, and agencies modify production pipelines, establish regulatory guardrails, and address intellectual property protection within the AI sector.
According to Kealoha, generative media cannot scale without resolving unit economics and massive intellectual property issues: “From Fortune 500 companies wrestling with governance to global studios completely rebuilding their pipelines, this lineup is dedicated to the unglamorous but critical reality of scaling AI in commercial production,” she added.
“If you want to know how to protect your brands’ assets and actually monetize in a synthetic world, these are the exact operators you need to hear from.”
The day will also explore the legal, ethical, and economic frameworks required to transform generative AI from a creative experiment into a viable business strategy.
TUES, JUNE 16 | ALTERA FESTIVAL OPENING NIGHT | 7 P.M.
Ambient + Studios | 520 Northside Drive SW | Atlanta, Ga. 30310
Full festival program available here.
The festival’s Opening Night will bring together speakers, creators, industry executives, and attendees for an evening of networking, creative experiences, and celebration. This provides opportunities to connect across the technology, entertainment, and media industries before the festival’s second day of programming.
As part of Opening Night, Donnie Beamer, Senior Technology Advisor for the City of Atlanta and Mayor Andre Dickens’ chief advisor on technology and innovation initiatives, will present the Altera Art: ATL Awards which recognize creators whose work uses augmented reality to reimagine public space. The ATL ARt walking tour launches June 15 along the Atlanta Beltline in partnership with the City of Atlanta, Invest Atlanta, Atlanta Tech Hub, and Avant South.
“Atlanta has long been a city that embraces innovation while also celebrating creativity and culture, and ATL ARt represents the future of storytelling,” said Beamer. “By giving emerging artists the opportunity to experiment with new technologies, engage with the public in unexpected ways, and showcase their work to an international audience, this becomes more than a competition — it’s an opportunity to leave a long-lasting creative mark on the city.”
Afterwards, the groundbreaking activation “BraveWave”— a new AI-powered projection mapping experience created by Collimation as part of the acclaimed Brave New Earth activation — will introduce Atlanta audiences to one of the most advanced, immersive storytelling platforms in the world. BraveWave is a live, EEG-powered audience co-creation experience where guests use their brainwaves and emotional signals to influence curated visual art and music in real time. These biometric inputs are instantly translated into a custom OpenAI Sora prompt, generating cinematic “visions of the future” projected at wall scale. The result is an immersive, collective reveal where human consciousness becomes the creative force behind a shared visual future.
WED, JUNE 17 | ALTERA FESTIVAL DAY 2 | 10 A.M.-6 P.M.
Ambient + Studios | 520 Northside Drive SW | Atlanta, Ga. 30310
The festival’s second day shifts from shifts from enterprise strategy to creative innovation, bringing together filmmakers, artists, designers, musicians, game developers, technologists, and cultural leaders to explore how generative AI is transforming storytelling and the future of media. Sessions will feature filmmakers, artists, technologists, and industry leaders discussing everything from world-building and visual storytelling to audience engagement, creative collaboration, and the future of human creativity in an AI-powered era.
Together, the festival’s two-day format bridges both sides of the AI revolution — from enterprise adoption and commercial-grade execution to the creative possibilities shaping the future of media, entertainment, and culture.
Beyond its summit and cinema programming, Altera is extending its impact into the community through public art and emerging technology initiatives designed to showcase Atlanta’s creative ecosystem.
COMMUNITY INITIATIVES
Beyond its summit and cinema programming, Altera Festival is extending its impact into the community through ATL ARt, an augmented reality walking tour created in partnership with the City of Atlanta, Invest Atlanta, Atlanta Tech Hub, and Avant South. Launching the day before the Altera Festival opens (on June 15), ATL ARt will transform Atlanta’s public spaces into an interactive digital gallery through location-based augmented reality.
The initiative invited emerging creatives, aged 18 and older, from across metro Atlanta to participate in a fellowship experience that blended creative technology, public art, and community storytelling through immersive, location-based augmented reality experiences. Selected fellows competed for a $1,000 cash prize and the opportunity to have their work showcased during what is arguably the city’s most visible moment on the global stage this summer
By combining practical business intelligence, cultural programming, and innovative public experiences, the Altera Festival is creating a platform where creative professionals can engage directly with the technologies, strategies, and conversations shaping the future of media.
