A short animated film inspired by Central Asian cultural heritage, Kök Börü, has been showcased at SIGGRAPH 2026, one of the world’s leading conferences on computer graphics, animation, and visual technologies. Created in collaboration with AI video startup Higgsfield, the project was also presented during NVIDIA’s AI in Production Day, where the team demonstrated the AI-powered production pipeline behind the film.
The 15-minute film is set in 15th-century Central Asia and draws inspiration from Kök Börü (Kokpar), the region’s traditional horseback game. The story follows Ana, a nomadic mother who embarks on a journey to find her daughter years after she was taken away by a wolf pack during a storm. According to the creators, the film aims to introduce global audiences to the rich history, mythology, and cultural heritage of Central Asia.
The project was directed by Amina Ömirjan, Shakhnazar Borboev, and Stepan Abramov. The characters are voiced by professional Kazakh actors in the Kazakh language, reinforcing the film’s cultural authenticity.
Despite its cinematic quality, Kök Börü was produced by a team of just 12 specialists. By combining traditional hand-crafted animation with generative AI tools, the team completed the film in only two weeks. According to Higgsfield, producing a similar animated project using conventional workflows would typically require one to two years and a budget of $1–2 million.
During SIGGRAPH 2026, the Higgsfield team took the stage at NVIDIA to explain how AI was integrated into every stage of production while keeping artists at the center of the creative process. Alex Mashrabov, Founder and CEO of Higgsfield, emphasized that artificial intelligence was designed to empower creators rather than replace them, enabling small teams to deliver large-scale, high-quality productions.
Beyond demonstrating the capabilities of generative AI in professional animation, Kök Börü represents an important milestone for Central Asia’s creative industry. It is among the first AI-assisted animated films from the region to be presented on one of the world’s most influential technology and graphics stages, bringing Central Asian storytelling to a global audience.
