Astana will host its first international AI film festival this autumn, bringing together creators from around the world, Zakon.kz reports. Applications for the Astana AI Film Festival are now open to creators worldwide.
Applications can be submitted via the festival’s official website, aaiff.ai .
As organizers announced at a press conference in Astana, participation is free of charge and open to individual creators, teams, digital artists, and studios, with no age or professional restrictions.
One of the competition’s key requirements is the use of full AI production workflows. This means that AI must serve as the primary creative tool throughout the filmmaking process, rather than being used only in post-production.
According to festival organizer Almas Zhali, AI-generated content is currently one of the fastest-growing sectors within the global creative tech industry.
“We are seeing growing interest in AI-generated content from creators, technology companies, and the international community. The format itself has sparked significant enthusiasm. Many people are reaching out independently and already want to participate this year. We would like our country to be among the pioneers in this field. This is an opportunity to present ourselves to the world through a new industry. The Astana AI Film Festival is envisioned as an international platform where technology, creativity, and new forms of digital content intersect,” he noted.
The festival’s competition program includes two sections: the main competition, centered around this season’s theme, “The Future Worth Living In,” and an open competition with separate award categories for:
* Best Character
* Best Directing
* Best Visual Language
* Best Story
* Best Concept
The festival’s total prize fund amounts to USD 1 million.
To participate, entrants must create an AI-generated short film of up to 10 minutes and upload it to the festival platform. Submissions can be made in two ways: by uploading the video to YouTube and providing the link, or by uploading the file to a cloud storage service and sharing the corresponding link.
For films uploaded to YouTube, the video description must include the phrase “Special for Astana AI Film Festival,” the creator’s full name, and the hashtag #SpecialForAAIFF.
According to project co-author Aizatulla Hussain, all submissions will undergo technical verification and curatorial review. tee
“All entries will undergo technical screening and curator review. Based on the results, the festival team and international experts will select 25 finalists, who will then be evaluated by an international jury. It is important for us to ensure a transparent and professional selection process. We want to discover creators with truly unconventional thinking – people who may not previously have had the opportunity to share their vision with the world,” he said.
The Astana AI Film Festival will take place in Astana from September 28 to October 1, 2026, as part of Astana AI Week.
In addition to the competition program, the festival will feature AI film screenings, a conference on AI-generated content, panel discussions, masterclasses, and pitch sessions for creators and producers.
The submission deadline is August 15, 2026, with finalists to be announced in September.