China joins forces with Kazakhstan for inaugural AI Film Festival

Kazakhstan's first international film festival dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI), the Astana AI Film Festival, will be held this October.

China has officially become a partner of the AI film festival, marking a new chapter in bilateral cooperation on AI filmmaking and the digital creative industry.

Looking to become a global leader in the AI filmmaking business, the Astana AI Film Festival is putting up a one-million-dollar prize pool.

Almas Zhali, co-founder and chairman of the Board of Astana AI Film Festival, said he aims to build a creative community bringing global filmmakers together to support the next generation of film production.

"The first is building the community, discovering all the authors and defining the form. I want to bring creatives from all over the world in one room here in Kazakhstan, give them the stage they deserve, and create a platform for the next generation of cinema makers. And I hope that our country can become such a stage. We wanted the prize to have a real creative consequence, to give an author the resource to make what comes next, maybe that will be production startups or some creative companies more people integrated with the AI industry,” he said.

This June, the Astana AI Film Festival held a promotion event in Beijing, with the goal of bringing Chinese and Kazakh creators closer together in AI filmmaking and the digital creative sectors.

"Cooperation in AI filmmaking is a great way to bridge the digital divide from an industry perspective. By leveraging our national technological resources, we are training more young people to use digital tools to boost productivity and generate economic value," said Chen Xiaohan, executive deputy general manager of Beijing Zhongguancun Tongli Technology Service Company.

Moving forward, Beijing and Astana will use local digital hubs to keep driving innovation and high-quality growth in AI filmmaking.

China joins forces with Kazakhstan for inaugural AI Film Festival

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) is a "unique organization" focused on connectivity, pragmatism and independence, according to the former prime minister of Kyrgyzstan Djoomart Otorbaev.

This year's SCO summit, which marks the 25th anniversary of the organization's founding, is taking place in the Kyrgyz capital Bishkek from Monday to Tuesday.

Themed "25 Years of the SCO: Together Towards Sustainable Peace, Development, and Prosperity", the summit has brought together leaders from more than 20 countries.

Speaking in an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN) on Sunday, Otorbaev said that SCO member states can look beyond differences in political systems and economic models and pursue win-win outcomes through dialogue, connectivity and pragmatism.

"It's a unique organization. Connectivity in SCO means that we are connected not only by railway, but in making dialogue with each other. Trade, investments, transport, energy, connectivity, moving very quickly. Without doubt, it’s China to Central Asian countries, we're doing very well. So, connectivity,” he said.

He also stressed that greater independence and self-reliance can help drive development and prosperity across the region.

"Number two is pragmatism. If you look to those 10 full members of the SCO, they are exploring different political systems, different economic models. But instead of arguing who is better, we are telling, let's get win-win, let's be pragmatic. If we will be pragmatic together, we will be delivering to our nations, to our people, better results. Then we have to look to the future - independence. We are not against anybody, but we say we will be stronger if we are independent from other models of economic and political development. In that respect, this is the key that we rely on our own strength. Only our own nations, our own people, will make us stronger and more prosperous." he said.

Connectivity, pragmatism, independence define SCO: Former Kyrgyz PM