At Comic Con Astana, the art film Tengrida: Cyber Steppe was presented.

At the international Comic Con Astana 2026 festival, the art film Tengrida: Cyber Steppe—a new Kazakhstani project combining elements of cyberpunk, artificial intelligence, and an artistic reinterpretation of Great Steppe culture—was presented.

At the Comic Con Astana festival, viewers were introduced for the first time to a three-minute AI-animated episode, opening up a new original universe.

The story centers on a young woman named Tengrida, who enters the arena of a techno-clan not to bring power, but to restore justice. The core idea of the project is expressed by the formula: “Truth and justice are twins.”

The plot transports the viewer to a future where technology has gradually replaced human memory, and truth has become a nuisance. On the cyber-arena, where brutal duels have become entertainment for the crowd, Tengrida faces a formidable opponent—the warrior Kanjar. However, her greatest victory is not winning the fight, but restoring people’s ability to see the truth. The heroine removes symbolic blindfolds from her eyes, demonstrating that true strength lies not in revenge, but in restoring justice.

The idea and character creator is Aruzhan Zhunusova—a cosplayer from Almaty, known by the nickname Aruvibez. In 2025, at Comic Con Astana, she first presented her original interpretation of Tengrida—a heroine who blends Kazakh national style with futuristic aesthetics. The image resonated widely with audiences and media, and later became the foundation for creating the original universe of Tengrida: Cyber Steppe.

According to Aruzhan, the idea was born from the desire to show that inspiration does not necessarily have to be sought in foreign cultures.

Over time, the contest image evolved into an independent creative project. Today, Tengrida is no longer just a cosplay character, but also the heroine of her own art film, opening up a new fantastic universe, as well as the ambassador of Comic Con Astana.

Alongside Aruzhan Zhunusova, the film team includes lead director Alisher Sovetkan, director Kamila Makat, producer Ruslan Zhemkov, and co-producer Yerzhan Zhunusov.

The creators note that the project was developed using modern artificial intelligence technologies. AI served as one of the tools for creating the visual component, enabling the realization of a large-scale artistic concept and blending traditional cultural motifs with the aesthetics of science fiction.

The episode shown at Comic Con Astana serves as the audience’s first introduction to the new universe. The ending of the story remains open, suggesting further development of the project.

The next stage will be the participation of Tengrida: Cyber Steppe in the Astana AI Film Festival, which will take place in the capital of Kazakhstan from September 28 to October 1, 2026. The festival will bring together creators working at the intersection of cinema, animation, and artificial intelligence technologies.

Thanks to consistent support from the city akimat, the festival has grown into the largest contemporary pop culture event in Central Asia, attracting tens of thousands of guests annually, as well as global stars from the film, TV series, comics, and gaming industries. Today, Comic Con Astana not only shapes the region’s modern cultural agenda but also contributes to the development of tourism, the creative economy, entrepreneurship, youth initiatives, and strengthening Kazakhstan’s international image.

The presentation of Tengrida was one of the special events of Comic Con Astana 2026, demonstrating that the festival has become a platform not only for meeting global stars of cinema and pop culture, but also for premiering new Kazakhstani projects capable of reaching an international audience.