Astana:Latvian filmmaker Nikolay Shestak's film, The First Honest Day, won the Grand Prix and a $450,000 prize at the Astana AI Film Festival, which is considered the world's largest international competition for AI-generated film.

According to Anadolu Agency, Kazakhstan hosted the festival for the first time, drawing 8,067 entries from 125 countries. India's SITARA secured second place, earning $200,000, while Spain's Looking For Perseida took third place with a $100,000 prize.

Only 25 films were selected for the final round, where they were assessed by an international jury that included former UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay and investor Balaji Srinivasan. The festival provided a total prize and support fund of $2 million, with half allocated to awards and the other half designated to support promising AI teams and aid the development of film production in Kazakhstan.