2 Kazakh films vie for spots on AAIFF shortlist

Speaking on the sidelines of an event, AAIFF founder Aizatulla Hussein explained how the selection process works and why choosing just 25 films from thousands of submissions has proved challenging.

According to Hussein, entries go through several stages of evaluation. After an initial screening, the remaining films are reviewed by specialists with experience in visual production and filmmaking before moving on to an internal assessment by the festival team.

Around 150 entries make it to the final stage, with organizers ultimately selecting just 25 films for the festival program.

“There are so many good works — literally hundreds of them. Now the challenge is to select the 25 that truly have that wow factor and will come to us,” Hussein said.

The selection process goes beyond the visual quality of the films. The festival team is also reaching out to participants to learn more about the creators behind the projects and how their works were produced.

The wide range of running times presents another challenge. Some films last just three to five minutes, while others run for around half an hour, requiring the team to find the best way to bring them together within a single festival program.

Hussein noted that previous experience does not necessarily give established creators an advantage. The competition has attracted both prominent AI filmmakers with large audiences and newcomers who are only beginning to work with the technology.

Rapid advances in AI tools also prompted the festival to extend its submission deadline by two weeks. After the release of Seedance 2.5, some participants chose to rework their films and submit updated versions.

Among the projects still in contention are two entries from Kazakhstan, although the final shortlist of 25 films has yet to be determined.

According to Hussein, the idea for AAIFF emerged in December last year, when rapid advances in AI video generation began pointing toward the technology’s growing potential for filmmaking.

Since then, new tools released during the submission period have given creators even greater capabilities, allowing them to produce increasingly sophisticated AI-generated films.

Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that the Kazakh animated project KÖLEÑKE (18+), produced by the Qazaqanimation creative association, had received the Special Jury Award at the Portland Festival of Cinema, Animation & Technology (PFCAT) in the United States.