More than 1,900 films created using artificial intelligence have been submitted to the international Astana AI Film Festival. This was announced following a meeting of the festival fund's Board of Trustees. This was reported by Qazaqyia.kz citing Kursiv Media.

The meeting discussed the competition program, preparations for the event within Astana Digital Bridge, and Astana's readiness to host participants and guests.

Geography and Statistics

The most submissions came from the United States — 17% of the total. India is second with 10%, Kazakhstan — 8%. South Korea and China each account for 5%, the UK — 4%, Russia and Hong Kong — 3% each.

Organizers note that the wide geography of submissions indicates growing professional interest in using AI in cinema.

International Jury

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

Key Festival Details

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

In addition to the main competition, there is an open section with five nominations. Submissions are open 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 within the Digital Bridge forum and will include plenary and panel sessions, workshops, and masterclasses with international experts in AI, film, and digital creativity.

Cooperation with China

Meeting participants separately noted cooperation with China. Following the Kazakhstan-China Innovation Exchange Forum on AI Cinema, the Astana AI Film Festival fund signed a memorandum with Beijing Zhongguancun Tongli Technology Service Co., Ltd. The Chinese company became the festival's official representative in China.

The organizers link the festival to the declaration by Head of State Kassym-Jomart Tokayev of 2026 as the Year of Digitalization and Artificial Intelligence.