Alternativa Film Festival Opens Submissions for First African Edition, Offers $120,000 in Prizes

Alternativa Film Festival, a global film initiative founded and supported by mobility company inDrive, has opened submissions for its 2027 edition, marking the first time the festival will be hosted in Africa.

The fourth edition will welcome feature films from Africa, Asia and Latin America, while short film submissions will be restricted to African filmmakers, reflecting the continent's position as the festival's focus region for 2027.

Eligible films must have been completed after January 1, 2026. Submissions are free and will close on March 1, 2027.

The festival has set aside $120,000 in prize money across seven award categories. Three awards are specifically reserved for African filmmakers, including the $20,000 Focus Award and two Short Film Awards worth $10,000 each. African entries will also qualify for the remaining award categories.

Directors whose films make it into the Competition will be invited to attend the festival and awards ceremony, with Alternativa covering their travel and accommodation expenses.

The event is scheduled for late 2027, although the host country, city and exact dates are yet to be announced.

Founded to promote socially impactful cinema from the Global South, Alternativa seeks to address the limited international visibility of filmmakers from regions that account for approximately five-sixths of the world's population but remain under-represented in global cinema.

Arsen Tomsky, founder and chief executive officer of inDrive, said unequal access to international audiences continued to constrain filmmakers despite the quality of work emerging from different parts of the world.

"Exceptional filmmaking can come from anywhere, but access to international audiences is still hindered by a deeply unequal system," said Tomsky. "Alternativa Distribution was created to challenge that imbalance."

Alternativa Distribution, launched earlier this year, operates a non-profit distribution model designed to reinvest in filmmakers and local film industries. The initiative provides upfront minimum guarantees for non-theatrical rights, finances subtitling and dubbing, and shares revenue with filmmakers after recovering direct distribution costs.

Its growing catalogue includes Nepal's 2027 Oscar entry *Elephants in the Fog*, which won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize at Cannes 2026; Afghanistan's *No Good Men*, the opening film at Berlinale 2026; Malaysia's *Lost Land*, recipient of the Orizzonti Special Jury Prize at Venice 2025; and Tunisia's 2024 Oscar nominee *Four Daughters*. The catalogue also features five other films from previous Alternativa Film Festival editions.

Films selected for the 2027 festival may also be considered for inclusion in the distribution catalogue, potentially extending their reach beyond the festival circuit.

Liza Surganova, Head of Alternativa, said the African edition would build on the festival's growing international presence while creating new opportunities for filmmakers and industry professionals.

"With each edition, Alternativa Film Festival grows. Not only in reach and scale, but also in the connections it creates and the opportunities it opens up for filmmakers," said Surganova.

She said the festival was looking forward to engaging Africa's diverse cultures and cinematic voices while strengthening connections across the Global South.

The festival's journey began in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in 2023, before moving to Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2024 and Medellín, Colombia, in 2026.

The Medellín edition recorded 1,831 film submissions from 55 countries, making it the largest in the festival's history. It attracted approximately 11,000 attendees, hosted 107 international guests and brought together more than 60 partners.

The 2027 programme will feature public screenings, discussions and other events intended to encourage conversations around the social issues explored in participating films. The festival will conclude with an awards ceremony recognising productions that combine artistic quality with the potential to generate meaningful social change.

It will also host Industry Days, a professional programme that connects filmmakers, producers, industry experts and social impact leaders from across the Global South to encourage collaboration and new partnerships.

Elise Shick, a Malaysian producer of *Lost Land*, which won the Nativa Award at Alternativa 2026, said the festival had helped establish lasting professional relationships and international co-production opportunities.

"We've built a family here at the festival. Here, we have already formed a co-production project involving nine countries. We hope to screen it as the opening film of the next Alternativa Film Festival in Africa," said Shick.

Alternativa Film Festival accepts fiction, documentary, animation and hybrid productions across all genres.

Filmmakers can review the eligibility criteria, participating countries, submission requirements and award categories through the festival's official website.

Submissions are free and close on March 1, 2027.

**Film submissions:** https://alternativa.film/festival/open-call-2027