Terms & Conditions

The Astana AI Film Festival is an international festival of cinema created with artificial intelligence, hosted in Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan in October 2026. The Festival is operated by the Foundation under the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan and the AIFC. Its mission is to build a lasting community and distribution channel for AI-native filmmaking. The annual theme for the 2026 edition is “The Future Worth Living In”.

For any question about these Terms, contact us at desk@aaiff.ai.

• "Entrant" / "you" — the natural person or legal entity (represented by an authorised individual) who submits a Work, acting on their own behalf and on behalf of every contributor to that Work.
• "Work" — the film and all material you submit to the Festival, including the moving image, audio, title, synopsis, stills, credited contributors, AI model and pipeline disclosure, and all accompanying information.
• "Submission"— the act of entering a Work through the Site's submission form, including acceptance of these Terms.
• "Section" — a competition category: the Thematic Competition (Main Section) or the Open Competition (Open Section).
• "Eligibility Period" — the window during which Works must be registered: 25 May 2026 to 15 August 2026.
• "Festival Materials" — any content the Foundation produces or commissions to announce, promote, document, or archive the Festival, in any medium now known or later developed, including social media, press materials, trailers, and archival records.
• "AI-Generated Content" — content where generative artificial intelligence is integral to the creation process, not merely used for post-production effects, upscaling, or colour correction.

• The Festival is open worldwide. There is no age limit on the authorship of a Work.
• The Site and submission process are not directed at persons under 16. We do not knowingly collect personal data from anyone under 16 (see the Privacy Policy). An Entrant who is a minor under the laws of their country of residence must have a parent or legal guardian review and accept these Terms on their behalf before submission.
• Each Entrant must be the author of the Work, or must be fully authorised by every author and rights holder to submit it and to grant the licence in Section 8.
• Employees and contractors of the Foundation, members of the jury for the current edition, and their immediate family members may not submit competing Works.
• Entry is free. The Festival does not charge a submission fee and does not sell goods or services in connection with the competition.

The Festival runs two competitions, with a total prize fund of US$1,000,000:

• Thematic Competition (Main Section)— reserved for Works created within the Eligibility Period and developed in response to the annual theme "The Future Worth Living In". Prize fund: US$750,000 (Grand Prize US$450,000; Second Prize US$200,000; Third Prize US$100,000).
• Open Competition (Open Section) — open to Works of any theme or approach, including previously completed Works and Works that have screened or competed elsewhere. Prize fund: US$250,000, awarded across five categories (Best Character, Best Direction, Best Visual, Best Story, Best Concept), US$50,000 each.

A Work may be entered into both competitions, but each entry must be registered separately. The Festival may, at its discretion, adjust category names, prize allocations, or the number of awards if the standard or volume of entries makes it reasonable to do so, and will publish any such change on the Site before it takes effect.

To be considered, a Submission must meet all of the following conditions:

• Duration — the Work must run for 3 minutes or longer. This applies to both competitions.
• AI must be integral — generative AI must be central to the creation of the Work, not merely used for VFX, upscaling, or colour grading. The contribution of AI to the Work must be disclosed at Submission.
• Disclosure — all contributors must be credited, and the AI model(s) and production pipeline must be disclosed at Submission. Incomplete or false disclosure may result in disqualification.
• Language & subtitles — a Work may be in any language, but English subtitles must be embedded directly in the video file. Subtitles in a separate file are not accepted.
• YouTube hashtag — Works uploaded to YouTube must include the hashtag #SpecialForAAIFF in the video description. Entries without this hashtag will not be considered.
• Hosting & access — the Work must be provided as a public or unlisted YouTube link, or as a Google Drive file with view-access for anyone with the link. The Work must remain accessible throughout the judging process. The Festival is not responsible for access failures caused by third-party platforms.
• Registration window — the Work must be submitted between 25 May 2026 and 15 August 2026. Late submissions will not be considered.

You are responsible for the accuracy of all information you provide. The Festival may contact you to verify any detail and may reject or withdraw an entry that is incomplete, inaccessible, or non-compliant with these Terms.

By submitting a Work, you represent and warrant that:

• (a) You are the author of the Work, or you have obtained all rights, consents, and permissions necessary to submit it and to grant the licence in Section 8;
• (b) The Work is your original creation and, to the best of your knowledge, does not infringe any copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, moral right, or other right of any third party, including the rights of persons whose likeness, voice, or performance appears in the Work;
• (c) You have obtained all necessary rights, consents, and clearances in respect of all third-party material incorporated in the Work — including music, footage, voices, likenesses, trademarks, brand assets, datasets, AI models, and any other third-party assets used in its production — to the extent required for the Work to be exhibited and promoted under these Terms;
• (d) Every person who appears in or contributed to the Work has consented to its submission, exhibition, and promotion by the Festival in accordance with these Terms;
• (e) The use of AI models, datasets, and tools in the creation of the Work complied with the applicable terms of service and licences of those tools and with applicable law;
• (f) The Work does not contain unlawful, defamatory, hateful, or deceptive content, and complies with Section 10;
• (g) The credits and AI-pipeline disclosure you provide are accurate and complete;
• (h) You are not a minor, or, if you are a minor under the laws of your country of residence, a parent or legal guardian has reviewed and accepted these Terms on your behalf.

You keep full ownership. Nothing in these Terms transfers the copyright or any other intellectual-property right in your Work to the Foundation. You retain full ownership of, and authorship credit for, the Work at all times. The Foundation only receives the limited licence described in Section 8. Submitting a Work to the Festival does not restrict your right to submit it to other festivals, distribute it independently, or otherwise exploit it commercially.

So that the Festival can run the competition, screen entries, announce results, and promote the event and its filmmakers, you grant the Foundation a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, sublicensable (solely to the extent set out below) licence to use the Work as follows:

• (a) To reproduce, exhibit, stream, broadcast, and publicly perform the Work, in whole or in part, at Festival screenings, awards events, and official Festival showcases during the current and future Festival editions for archival and retrospective purposes;
• (b) To create and use stills, excerpts (clips), and short extracts of the Work in Festival Materials — including trailers, highlight reels, programme listings, press materials, the Site, newsletters, and social-media channels — for the purpose of announcing, promoting, documenting, and archiving the Festival and the filmmakers who take part;
• (c) To use your name, the Work's title, the synopsis, the disclosed credits, and your public social-media handle in connection with the uses described above.

This licence is granted on the following conditions:

• Credit.The Foundation will attribute the Work to you and the credited contributors wherever reasonably practicable, in accordance with Article 15 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On Copyright and Related Rights" No. 6-I of 10 June 1996 (as amended, most recently by Law No. 233-VIII of 24 November 2025, in force from 25 January 2026).
• Purpose. The licence is limited to operating and promoting the Festival. The Foundation will not sell your Work or sub-licence it to third parties for their own independent commercial purposes without your separate written consent (see Section 9).
• Term. The promotional and archival licence continues after the competition ends so that the Foundation may maintain a historical record and reference past editions. The full-length exhibition right applies during the relevant Festival cycle only.
• Integrity. Any excerpt or clip the Foundation creates will be edited only for length and technical format, and will not be altered in a way that misrepresents the Work or the identity of its author.

If you believe a specific use exceeds this licence, contact us at desk@aaiff.ai and we will review it promptly.

The Festival works with partner platforms and media to give finalist and award-winning Works a wider audience. Showing your Work on a partner platform extends beyond the promotional licence in Section 8 and will only happen with your separate, explicit, prior written consent. Before any such use, we will inform you of the identity of the partner, the form of use, the territory, and the duration. You may decline any partner distribution without affecting your standing in the competition.

A Work must not contain, and you must not submit, material that:

• (a) Is unlawful under the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan or the laws of your country of residence;
• (b) Infringes the intellectual-property, privacy, or publicity rights of any person;
• (c) Incites hatred, violence, or discrimination against any person or group on grounds of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or any other characteristic;
• (d) Is harmful to the health or moral development of minors, contrary to Article 39 of the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan "On the Rights of the Child";
• (e) Contains AI-generated realistic likenesses, voices, or performances of identifiable real persons used without their consent, or in a misleading, defamatory, or deceptive manner;
• (f) Was created using AI models or datasets in material violation of those tools' terms of service or applicable intellectual-property law.

You agree to deal with the Festival, the jury, and other entrants with respect and in good faith throughout the competition. The Foundation reserves the right to remove from the competition any Entrant who engages in harassment, misrepresentation, or conduct that brings the Festival into disrepute.

Entries are evaluated by an independent jury appointed by the Foundation. The jury assesses Works on artistic, narrative, and technical merit and on the meaningfulness and originality of the use of AI. The jury's decisions are final, binding, and not subject to appeal or review. The Foundation does not provide individual feedback on entries.

The Foundation may withhold an award in any category if, in the jury's judgement, no entry meets the required standard. The Foundation may ask a selected jury member to recuse themselves from evaluating a specific Work where a conflict of interest arises.

• Prizes are awarded as described in Section 4 and announced publicly on the Site and at the awards event.
• Before a prize is paid, a winner may be required to verify their identity and authorship, confirm the rights and disclosures in Sections 5 and 6, and sign a prize acceptance agreement.
• Prizes are paid in United States dollars by bank transfer (or another method agreed in writing) on a schedule the Foundation communicates to winners at the time of the award.
• Tax responsibility. Each winner is solely responsible for any taxes, duties, withholding obligations, or other charges arising from a prize under the laws of their country of residence. The Foundation may be required by the law of the Republic of Kazakhstan to withhold tax on prizes paid to non-residents; where applicable, the prize will be paid net of any such withholding. Winners are strongly advised to seek independent tax advice in their own jurisdiction.
• Prizes are personal and non-transferable. If a prize cannot be awarded as described for reasons beyond the Foundation's reasonable control, the Foundation may substitute a prize of equal or greater value.
• If a Work is later found to breach these Terms, or if a winner is found to have misrepresented their authorship or rights, the Foundation may withdraw the award, cancel any unpaid prize, and reclaim any prize already paid.

The Foundation may, at its discretion, disqualify an entry or remove a Work from any screening or Festival Material if:

• (a) the entry breaches any provision of these Terms;
• (b) a third party makes a credible intellectual-property or rights infringement claim in respect of the Work;
• (c) the Work becomes inaccessible or is removed from its hosting platform during the judging process;
• (d) information provided at Submission proves to be false, incomplete, or misleading; or
• (e) the Entrant engages in conduct that, in the Foundation's reasonable judgement, brings the Festival into disrepute.

The Foundation will, where practicable, notify the Entrant before disqualification and allow a reasonable opportunity to remedy the issue.

The Festival name, the "AAIFF" mark, the logo, the Site design, and all Foundation-produced content are the property of the Foundation or its licensors and are protected by the intellectual-property laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan and applicable international treaties. You may not use the Foundation's marks or branding without prior written permission, except to truthfully state that your Work was submitted to, selected for, or won an award at the Festival.

The Foundation processes personal data submitted through the Site as the data owner (operator) under the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 94-V of 21 May 2013 "On Personal Data and its Protection" (as amended, most recently by Law No. 231-VIII of 17 November 2025, in force from 18 January 2026).

The data we collect (name, email, Instagram handle, film link, and synopsis) is used solely to administer the competition, communicate with you about your Submission, and, if your Work is selected, to promote the Festival. We do not sell or share your personal data with third parties for their own marketing purposes.

Because the Festival is international and entrants are located worldwide, your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries other than your country of residence. By submitting a Work, you consent to such cross-border transfer of your personal data to the extent necessary to administer the competition and operate the Festival, in accordance with Article 16 of the Law on Personal Data and its Protection.

You have the right to access, correct, and request deletion of your personal data at any time by contacting desk@aaiff.ai. Our full Privacy Policy, including our use of cookies and tracking technologies, is available at aaiff.ai/privacy-policy.

The Site uses cookies and similar tracking technologies to ensure technical functionality, analyse traffic, and improve user experience. By continuing to use the Site, you consent to our use of cookies in accordance with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy.

You may manage or withdraw your consent to non-essential cookies at any time through the cookie settings available on the Site. Withdrawing consent to non-essential cookies will not affect the operation of essential Site functions.

Our use of cookies and tracking technologies is governed by the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan No. 418-V of 24 November 2015 "On Informatisation" (as amended).

The Site and the competition are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. The Foundation does not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from viruses or other harmful components. The Foundation is not responsible for:

• technical failures, lost or delayed Submissions, or errors in the submission process;
• problems with third-party services such as YouTube, Google Drive, or email providers;
• the content of Works submitted by entrants, including any third-party rights issues arising from such Works;
• the decisions, actions, or statements of jury members.

To the fullest extent permitted by the law of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Foundation's total aggregate liability to you in connection with your participation in the competition or your use of the Site shall not exceed the value of any prize you are entitled to receive from the Foundation.

The Foundation shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive loss or damage — including loss of profit, loss of data, or loss of opportunity — arising from your participation in the competition or your use of the Site, whether in contract, tort, or otherwise.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited under applicable law, including liability for death or personal injury caused by the Foundation's negligence, for fraud or wilful misconduct, or for any other liability that cannot be excluded under the Civil Code of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Foundation, its officers, Council members, Guardian Council members, employees, agents, and partners from and against any claim, demand, liability, loss, damage, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

• (a) your Work, including any claim that your Work infringes any intellectual-property, privacy, publicity, or other right of any third party;
• (b) your breach of any representation, warranty, or obligation under these Terms;
• (c) your breach of any third party's rights, including any AI model, dataset, or tool licences; or
• (d) any false, inaccurate, or misleading information you provide to the Foundation.

The Foundation may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in the competition, applicable law, or the Foundation's practices. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this document and communicate material changes to registered entrants by email and by a prominent notice on the Site.

Changes to these Terms do not apply retroactively to a Submission that has already been accepted under a prior version, except where required by mandatory applicable law or where necessary to ensure the fair and lawful operation of the competition.

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan, including the law of the AIFC where applicable, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.

The Foundation and you will first attempt to resolve any dispute arising from these Terms or the competition through good-faith negotiation. Disputes should be raised initially by contacting desk@aaiff.ai.

If a dispute cannot be resolved by negotiation within 30 days of the initial notice, it shall be referred to the competent courts of Astana, Republic of Kazakhstan, except where mandatory consumer-protection or other applicable law in your country of residence gives you the right to bring proceedings before a court or other competent authority in that country.

• Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found by a competent court to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, that provision shall be deemed modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid and enforceable, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.
• Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and the rules and competition information published on the Site, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Foundation regarding the competition and your use of the Site, and supersede all prior communications on those matters.
• No waiver.The Foundation's failure or delay in enforcing any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.
• Assignment.You may not transfer or assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without the Foundation's prior written consent. The Foundation may assign these Terms, in whole or in part, to a successor entity that continues to operate the Festival.
• Language. These Terms are written in English. If a translation is made available, the English version shall prevail in the event of any inconsistency.
• Force majeure. Neither party shall be liable for any failure or delay in performance caused by circumstances beyond their reasonable control, including natural disasters, governmental actions, pandemics, or failures of infrastructure or third-party platforms.

Astana AI Film Festival Foundation
AIFC, Registration No. 260540900710
010000, Astana, Esil district, 55/23
Republic of Kazakhstan
desk@aaiff.ai
aaiff.ai