The Alternativa Film Project has announced that the third edition of the Alternativa Film Festival will be held in Colombia in Q2 2026. The festival is now open for submissions from Asia, continuing its mission to spotlight impactful films from emerging regions across the Global South.
This festival features a bigger prize fund of USD120,000. It introduces a new award category for a feature film from the festival’s focus region, bringing the total number of awards to seven. Feature-length films of all genres are accepted from Latin America and Asia, while short films are reserved for Latin American creators.
The open call for submissions runs from 10 June to 10 October 2025, with specific deadlines based on the film’s premiere date:
- For films with a world premiere before 1 August 2025, the deadline is 1 September 2025, 23:59 (UTC -5).
- For films with a world premiere after 1 August 2025, the deadline is 10 October 2025, 23:59 (UTC -5).
Eligible entries include fiction films, documentaries, animations, and hybrid works of all genres completed after 1 January 2025.
Following successful editions in Kazakhstan (2023) and Indonesia (2024), where Malaysia ranked among the top three countries for submissions, Alternativa continues to welcome filmmakers from the region.
In 2024, the festival received over 1,000 submissions from 33 countries, with 14 Asian nations represented among the 25 shortlisted films.
While the awards remain at their core, the festival continues to expand its programme with screenings, discussions, and events designed to deepen the impact of the selected films.
The Alternativa Film Project is an international non-profit project launched by the global technology company inDrive in 2023. The project is designed to support and promote filmmakers from the Global South whose work has the potential to bring positive change to the world.
Its mission is to amplify the international visibility of impact-driven talents and help their films reach broad and diverse audiences. By championing stories that make a difference, Alternativa bridges regional divides, empowers local communities, and contributes to meaningful social transformation.
Arsen Tomsky, CEO and founder of inDrive, shared, “At inDrive, we believe that talent and powerful stories should never be limited by borders, and that art has the power to create meaningful change for millions of people around the world. It can also help advance inDrive’s mission of challenging injustice, both through our business and beyond.
“That is why we founded and support Alternativa and its festival that gives impact filmmakers from the Global South a platform to be seen, heard, and celebrated,” he concluded.
The Alternativa Film Festival 2026 programme will focus on free public screenings of Competition films, impact discussions, and other public events to engage audiences and enhance social impact.
It will also feature Industry Days, a professional programme that connects filmmakers, producers, and social impact leaders, encouraging dialogue, sharing of experiences, and collaboration.
The festival will culminate in the awards ceremony, with Competition directors invited to attend, with travel and accommodation provided by the organisers.
The host city and exact dates of the Alternativa Film Festival 2026, along with the names of the Selection Committee and the International Jury, will be announced in the coming months.
The full list of eligible countries and detailed film requirements can be found in the Rules and Regulations section on the official Alternativa website.
Source: Alternativa by inDrive (Press Release)