The first Astana AI Film Festival in Kazakhstan saw 8,067 entries from 125 countries. Latvian filmmaker Nikolay Shestak’s film ‘The First Honest Day’ won the Grand Prix and USD 450,000, while India’s ‘SITARA’ took second place.
The first Astana AI Film Festival concluded recently in Kazakhstan, with 8,067 entries submitted from 125 countries for its competition featuring films generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
Major Winners Announced
According to Qazinform News Agency, the festival’s Grand Prix, along with a prize of USD 450,000, equivalent to around 201.5 million tenge, was awarded to Latvian filmmaker Nikolay Shestak for his film The First Honest Day. Kazakh filmmaker Myrzakhan Zhumakhan won the Best Character award for his comedy It Was Just a Joke. The film follows a dog and its owner’s brother as they get into a dispute over a prank, with the incident unfolding in the style of a blockbuster film. Zhumakhan said his interest in pranks and humour inspired the story.
India’s AI short film SITARA secured second place at the festival, winning a prize of USD 200,000, equivalent to around 89.5 million tenge. Spain’s Looking For Perseida took third place and $100,000, equivalent to around 44.8 million tenge.
Jury and Selection
Only 25 films were selected from thousands of submissions to reach the final. They were evaluated by an international jury that included former UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and investor Balaji Srinivasan, as per Qazinform News Agency.
Festival’s Financial Scope and Future Support
The festival had a total prize and support fund of USD 2 million, equivalent to nearly 895.5 million Kazakhstani tenge. Half of the fund was allocated for prizes, while the remaining amount will be used to support promising artificial intelligence (AI) teams and the development of film production in Kazakhstan.
The inaugural festival in Astana brought together filmmakers from several countries to present AI-generated films and compete for awards. Earlier, Qazinform reported that Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev attended the opening ceremony of the Astana AI Film Festival. (ANI)
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