Astana AI Film Festival going global with entries from 50 countries
In its first weeks of submissions, the Astana AI Film Festival has already received more than 300 applications from 50 countries, Qazinform News Agency reports, citing the organizers.
The international film festival dedicated to artificial intelligence-generated cinema, the Astana AI Film Festival (AAIFF 2026), continues to accept submissions. There are 65 days remaining until the participant registration deadline.
Just 17 days after submissions opened, festival organizers had already received more than 300 entries from 50 countries. Notably, 86% of all submissions came from international participants.
The largest number of entries has been received from Kazakhstan, Russia, the United States, South Korea, and China. Participants also represent the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Italy, Indonesia, Spain, Egypt, India, Argentina, Ukraine, Turkiye, Singapore, Pakistan, Hungary, Chile, Brazil, Bulgaria, the UAE, Germany, Japan, France, Canada, Australia, and many other countries.
According to the organizers, this level of interest indicates that AI-powered filmmaking is emerging as a new global direction within the creative industries, while Kazakhstan is gradually becoming one of the key platforms for the development of this movement.
“It is already clear that interest in the project extends far beyond Kazakhstan’s borders. Applications are being received from almost every continent, underscoring that artificial intelligence and new cinematic formats truly unite people from different countries," the festival organizers noted.
Earlier, during a meeting with representatives of the creative industries, the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, emphasized that this would be a first-of-its-kind event on a global scale, reflecting a fundamental shift in the development of the creative industry.
“The festival is of great importance in promoting our country on the international stage as one of the centers of innovation and creative initiatives,” the Head of State noted.
As a reminder, the Astana AI Film Festival will take place from September 28 to October 1, 2026, in Astana. The main highlight of the festival will be an international AI short film competition with a total prize fund of USD 1 million.
The main competition will be held under the seasonal theme, “The future worth living in.” There will also be an open section featuring five award categories: Best Direction, Best Visual Language, Best Story, Best Concept, and Best Character.
Applications for the Astana AI Film Festival will remain open until August 15, 2026.
