The ALTER-NATIVE International Short Film Festival is one of the oldest film festivals from this region with specific goal of supporting and promoting regional cinematography and fresh filmmaking talent. The event started off in 1993 and it is organized in every autumn, in early November.

The program supports individual alternatives to the mass products of the media market, presenting various less-known styles and unique viewpoints, discovering independent self-expressions in film. ALTER-NATIVE inherently considers radically different genres and thoughts of film both valid and authentic. Works that can be submitted to the competition are original audiovisual works (fiction, non-fiction, animation and experimental films in all formats including new media) whose running time does not exceed 30 minutes. The festival has no participation fee. Films submitted to the festival are to be completed in the last 3 years.

Cash awards

THE ONLY WAY TO REGISTER IS BY FILLING-OUT THE ONLINE ENTRY FORM ON THE OFFICIAL WEBSITE: www.madisz.ro
• The festival has no participation fee.
• Films submitted to the festival must be completed on or after January 1, 2012, not exceeding 30 minutes.
• Films must be submitted on DVD. Do not send film prints, master tapes, or other originals. Please make sure the DVD runs on a conventional DVD player. The DVDs will not be returned and will be kept in the festival’s archive.
• Films previously submitted to ALTER-NATIVE International Short Film Festival are NOT eligible.
• We won't accept films which are available on video streaming websites.
• After receiving and previewing the film entries, first the preview jury selects the films to be shown at the festival. They also decide whether the films will be screened in the competitive program or in additional programs.
• The list of the selected films will be found on the HYDU website: www.madisz.ro Only those authors will be notified by e-mail whose films have been selected to the competition.
• An international jury will present one major award (independent of category). The other prizes are yearly changing.
• The Festival is not able to pay any rental or screening fee. The Festival will only pay the return transportation charges. All tapes will be returned within six weeks after the end of the Festival to the address specified on the entry form.
• The director (or another representative) of the film selected for the competition will be invited to the festival. The Festival covers the guest’s board and lodging cost for the 3 days of the competition-program.