A million dollars for AI films: Astana AI Film Festival opens applications
Applications are now open for the First International Astana AI Film Festival (AAIFF 2026) in Kazakhstan. 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, Qazinform News Agency reports.
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 today 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:
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Main section dedicated to the theme The Future Worth Living In
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Open section with five nominations - best direction, visual language, story, concept, and character.
Key requirements
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.
Who can participate
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.
How to apply
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.
Selecting winners
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
Dates
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.
