Newsletters
Registration has opened for the first International Astana AI Film Festival (AAIFF 2026), a Kazakhstan-based competition focused on films made entirely with artificial intelligence, organizers announced Monday.
The festival will be held in Astana from Sept. 28 to Oct. 1 as part of Astana AI Week, according to Anadolu Agency (AA).
The event includes an international short-film competition with a $1 million prize fund, making it one of the largest for AI-focused film festivals worldwide.
Instead of awarding the full prize to one winner, AAIFF organizers will distribute the prize money among several creators to encourage more people to take part.
The festival’s main theme is "The Future Worth Living In." Participants are invited to share their vision of the future using AI-generated films. Organizers expect about 3,000 submissions from creators worldwide.
The competition has two categories: a main section focused on the festival’s central theme, and an open section with five awards for best direction, visual language, story, concept, and character. All entries must use what organizers call "Full AI" production.
This means artificial intelligence should be the main technology used to make the film, not just a tool for editing after filming.
Participants need to create a 10-minute AI-generated film and submit it via the festival’s official platform, along with a project description. The competition is in English, so films in other languages must have English subtitles.
Both professionals and amateurs of any age can enter the competition. Individuals and teams can apply for free on the festival’s official website until Aug. 15. Films can be submitted using YouTube links or cloud storage services.
Organizers say all entries must follow copyright rules and avoid any prohibited content.
An international jury of directors, producers, and creative technology experts will review the submissions.
Organizers may also use AI tools for the first round of judging. There will be 25 finalists: 10 in the main section and 15 in the open competition.
Besides film screenings and the awards ceremony, the festival will offer master classes, panel discussions, pitching sessions for creators and producers, and special AI film showings. Organizers hope the festival will become an annual international event for AI cinema and digital creativity.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
