Abhick Banerjee’s AI film Sitara has secured the second place at the Astana AI Film Festival (AAIFF 2026), winning a prize of USD 250,000 (approximately ₹ 2.4 crore) and earning the filmmaker international recognition in one of the world’s biggest platforms for AI-generated cinema. Nikolai Shestak (Latvia) won the Grand Prix ($450,000) for The First Honest Day.Held in Astana, Kazakhstan, the festival brought together some of the most exciting names working at the intersection of filmmaking and artificial intelligence. AAIFF 2026 receiving 8,067 entries from 125 countries, of which only 25 films made it to the final international competition.At the heart of Sitara is a deeply human story about ambition, recognition and the universal desire for an opportunity to prove oneself. For Banerjee, the film’s journey has gone far beyond what he imagined when he first set out to make it. Speaking about the film and his experience at the festival, he said, “My film is about a person who wants to achieve something truly significant through what he does. He wants to fulfil himself and gain recognition, although it is very difficult for him. We are all waiting for our chance, and every person somewhere in the world is waiting for an opportunity to show what they can do. I guess I am very fortunate that such an opportunity came to me.While making the film I never thought that it would come this far, it will receive so much love and appreciation, and that it will bring me to this beautiful city of Astana. I have met such amazing creators here, each film in the competition is so beautiful, each of the artist is so talented. There was so much to learn. This is an experience of a lifetime.”With Sitara finishing second among thousands of entries from across the world, Abhick Banerjee has emerged as a filmmaker to watch in the rapidly evolving world of AI-led cinema.