Over 1,900 Films from 90 Countries Submitted to Astana AI Film Festival

The Astana AI Film Festival, an international festival of films created with the help of artificial intelligence, has received more than 1,900 submissions from 90 countries worldwide. This was announced following a meeting of the festival's Board of Trustees, where the competition program, preparations for the event within the framework of Astana Digital Bridge, and the readiness of Astana to welcome participants and guests were discussed, according to the website infohub.kz.

The largest number of works came from the United States, accounting for 17% of all submissions. India is in second place with 10%, and Kazakhstan with 8%. South Korea and China each contributed 5%, the United Kingdom 4%, and Russia and Hong Kong 3% each.

Organizers note that the wide geographic spread of submissions indicates a growing interest among the professional community in the use of AI in cinema.

The international jury includes former UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay, Ma Ping from China Film Group, and Wang Hao from the Beijing Film Academy. The general partner of the Astana AI Film Festival is Freedom Holding Corp.

The Astana AI Film Festival will take place in Astana from October 1 to 3, 2026, as part of Astana AI Week. The main competition will be held under the theme "The future worth living in." The prize fund is $1 million.

In addition to the main competition, there will be an open section with five categories. Submissions will be accepted until the end of August.

For the first time, films from the official program will be shown on the big screen at the Chaplin cinema in Astana. The business program will be held as part of the Digital Bridge forum and will include plenary and panel sessions, workshops, and master classes with international experts in AI, film, and digital creativity.

Separately, meeting participants noted cooperation with China. Following the Kazakhstan-China Forum on Innovative Exchange in AI Cinema, the Astana AI Film Festival Foundation signed a memorandum with Beijing Zhongguancun Tongli Technology Service Co., Ltd. The Chinese company became the official representative of the festival in China.

The festival is being organized in connection with the announcement by the head of state, Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, of 2026 as the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence.