Alternativa Film Festival Calls for Entries for First African Edition with Prize Purse of $120,000

Alternativa Film Festival has opened submissions for its first African edition, with $120,000 worth of prizes and new chances for filmmakers from Africa, Asia and Latin America.

The announcement of this fourth edition of Alternativa was made at MIP Africa in Cape Town. The exact dates and city are yet to be announced.

Founded and sponsored by mobility company inDrive, Alternativa celebrates films from the Global South that marry artistic accomplishment with the possibility of inspiring change.

Submissions for feature films is open to filmmakers from Africa, Asia and Latin America, whereas submissions for short films are exclusive to filmmakers from Africa only, which is the region of focus for the festival in 2027. The selected films must have premiered after 1st January 2026.

Entries are free and close on 1 March 2027. The festival accepts fiction, documentary, animation and hybrid films across all genres. Of the seven awards on offer, three are reserved for African filmmakers: the $20,000 Focus Award and two Short Film Awards worth $10,000 each. African filmmakers will also be eligible for the remaining prizes.

Directors whose films are selected for the Competition will be invited to attend the festival and awards ceremony, with travel and accommodation covered by the organisers.

The move to Africa continues Alternativa’s travelling festival model. Its inaugural edition took place in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in 2023, followed by Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2024 and Medellín, Colombia, in 2026.

According to the organisers, the Medellín edition was its largest yet, receiving 1,831 submissions from 55 countries and attracting 11,000 attendees. It also welcomed 107 international guests and brought together more than 60 partners.

Liza Surganova, Head of Alternativa

Liza Surganova, Head of Alternativa, said the African edition would build on that growth while creating further opportunities for filmmakers.

“Africa is home to an extraordinary diversity of cultures, perspectives, and cinematic voices,” she said. Alongside public screenings, the 2027 programme will feature discussions and events exploring the social issues raised by the selected films. Its Industry Days programme will connect filmmakers, producers, industry experts and social impact leaders from across the Global South.

The festival will conclude with an awards ceremony recognising films for their artistic quality and potential to contribute to meaningful social change.

Selected films may also be considered for Alternativa Distribution, the initiative’s non-profit distribution label launched earlier this year to help Global South cinema reach audiences beyond the festival circuit.

The label offers an upfront minimum guarantee for non-theatrical rights, supports subtitling and dubbing, and shares revenue after recovering direct distribution costs. Its model reinvests in filmmakers and local film industries.

Its growing catalogue includes Elephants in the Fog, No Good Men, Lost Land and Four Daughters, alongside other films drawn from previous Alternativa editions.

Arsen Tomsky, founder and CEO of inDrive, said the distribution initiative was established to address inequalities in access to international audiences.

For filmmakers, the festival has also become a space to develop collaborations. Elise Shick, a Malaysian producer of Lost Land, which won the Nativa Award at Alternativa 2026, said connections made at the festival had already led to a co-production project involving nine countries.

Filmmakers can submit their work and find the full list of eligible countries, entry requirements and award categories on the Alternativa Film Festival website.

Arsen Tomsky, Founder and CEO of inDrive

About Alternativa 

Alternativa is a global non-profit film initiative, founded by Arsen Tomsky and supported by inDrive, dedicated to amplifying impact-driven stories from the Global South. Originating as an international film festival and industry labs network, Alternativa builds structural solutions that enable diverse cinematic voices to challenge systemic injustices, shift perspective, and reach audiences worldwide.