{
  "id": 12322984,
  "title": "Astana AI Film Festival crowns winners, $450,000 Grand Prize goes to Latvia",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/astana-ai-film-festival-crowns-winners-450-000-grand-prize-goes-to-12322984",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-10-06T07:07:03.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Korea Times",
    "slug": "the-korea-times-koreatimes",
    "url": "https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/entertainment/films/20261006/astana-ai-film-festival-crowns-winners-450000-grand-prize-goes-to-latvia"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "The Astana AI Film Festival, held in Kazakhstan for the first time, attracted a record-breaking 8,067 entries from 125 countries, making it the world's largest international competition for AI-generated films. The festival's prestigious Grand Prix, featuring a $450,000 prize (around 201.5 million tenge), was awarded to Latvian filmmaker Nikolay Shestak for his film \"The First Honest Day.\" Meanwhile, Kazakhstan's Myrzakhan Zhumakhan secured the Best Character award for his comedy \"It Was Just a Joke,\" which tells the story of a dog and its owner's brother as they engage in a playful prank that spirals into a chaotic sequence of events. SITARA from India took second place with a $200,000 award (approximately 89.5 million tenge), while Spain's \"Looking For Perseida\" claimed third place with a $100,000 prize (about 44.8 million tenge). Only 25 films were chosen from the mountain of submissions to compete in the finals, which were judged by an esteemed international jury comprising former UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and investor Balaji Srinivasan.",
  "summary": "Kazakhstan hosted the Astana AI Film Festival for the first time, drawing 8,067 entries from 125 countries and becoming the world’s largest international competition for AI-generated films. The festival’s Grand Prix and $450,000 prize, equivalent to around 201.5 million tenge, went to Latvian filmmaker Nikolay Shestak for \"The First Honest Day.\" Kazakhstan’s Myrzakhan Zhumakhan won the Best…",
  "key_points": [
    "Astana AI Film Festival held in Kazakhstan with 8,067 entries",
    "Latvian filmmaker Nikolay Shestak wins $450,000 Grand Prize",
    "Kazakhstan's Myrzakhan Zhumakhan wins Best Character award"
  ],
  "editors_take": "The Astana AI Film Festival's huge global reach and prestigious prizes solidify its position as a leading platform for AI-generated films, with Latvia and India among the top winners.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "The Korea Times",
        "title": "Astana AI Film Festival crowns winners, $450,000 Grand Prize goes to Latvia",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/06/astana-ai-film-festival-crowns-winners-450-000-grand-prize-goes-to",
        "published": "2026-10-06T06:42:02.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}