BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 26. Applications are now
open for the First International Astana AI Film Festival (AAIFF
2026) in Kazakhstan, Trend
reports.
The festival will host an international competition for short
films created entirely using AI technology, offering a $1 million
prize fund – one of the largest among global AI festivals.
Unlike similar events, where a single winner received the full
prize, AAIFF will distribute awards among several creators,
encouraging broader participation and recognition.
The large-scale project was launched yesterday in Astana.
The main theme of the competition is The Future Worth Living In.
Participants are invited to present their vision of the future and
share how they envision the world of tomorrow using artificial
intelligence.
Organizers expect approximately 3,000 applications from creators
worldwide.
According to Almas Zhali, one of the festival's organizers, the
competition program includes two sections:
-Main section dedicated to the theme The Future Worth Living
In
-Open section with five nominations - best direction, visual
language, story, concept, and character.
A key requirement for the competition will be the creation of
films in Full AI format - where artificial intelligence serves as
the primary production technology, rather than being used as an
auxiliary tool in post-production. To participate, authors must
create a 10-minute AI film and upload it to the festival platform
along with a description of the project.
English is the primary language of the film. If the AI film is
created in another language, English subtitles must be added. Works
must comply with copyright requirements and not contain graphic
violence or other prohibited content.
The organizers emphasize that the competition is open to
everyone. There are no age or professional restrictions for
participants. Both teams and individual authors can apply.
Participation in the festival is free.
Applications are accepted through the AAIFF.ai festival
website.
Authors may submit their works in two ways: upload it to YouTube
and provide a link, or upload it to a cloud service, such as Google
Drive, and provide a link. All submissions are registered in the
festival's unified database, so authors don't need to track their
status manually, organizers say.
For videos published on YouTube, the description must include
"Special for Astana AI Film Festival," the author's first and last
name, and the hashtag #SpecialForAAIFF.
Entries will be evaluated by international experts, directors,
producers, and representatives of the creative tech industry.
Organizers are also considering the use of an AI jury for
preliminary assessment of submissions.
Following the selection process, the AAIFF team and
international experts will determine 25 best works: 10 films in the
main section, 15 films in the open section
The festival will be held in Astana from September 28 to October
1, 2026, as part of Astana AI Week.
Application deadline: August 15, 2026.
Screenings and the awards ceremony will be held during the
Astana AI Week.
Apart from the competition program, organizers plan to hold
master classes, panel discussions, pitch sessions for authors and
producers, as well as special screenings of AI films.
The festival is planned to become an annual international
platform for the development of AI films and digital
creativity.
Earlier, announcing the Astana AI Film Festival 2026, President
Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said this will be the world’s first event to
reflect a fundamental shift in the development of the creative
industry. He noted that artificial intelligence is transforming the
very nature of creativity, opening new forms of self-expression and
removing barriers for talented creators.
