AAIFF describes itself as a festival, a community, and a distribution channel for AI-native cinema — built around the people making the films, not only the films themselves. Submissions ran from 25 May to 7 September 2026; the open call closed with 8,067 films from more than 8,000 filmmakers across 125 countries and regions, judged by an independent international jury. The festival itself runs 1–3 October 2026 in Astana, with screenings, filmmaker and jury conversations, an awards ceremony, and a gala dinner.
Films could be submitted to both sections. The Thematic Competition ($750,000 prize fund) was reserved for films made within the eligibility window and built around the 2026 theme, “The Future Worth Living In” — Grand Prize $450,000, Second Prize $200,000, Third Prize $100,000. The Open Competition ($250,000 prize fund) accepted films of any theme, including previously completed work — five $50,000 awards for Best Character, Best Direction, Best Visual, Best Story, and Best Concept.
