The Alternativa Film Festival honors films that bring positive change to the world and society. The festival presents an alternative system for recognizing filmmakers from the Global South, enabling their work to reach broad and diverse audiences and build bridges across regions. It offers both monetary and symbolic prizes to filmmakers who are yet to be widely recognized, helping to make them more visible on a global scale.

The Alternativa Film Festival is nomadic. Its third edition will take place in spring/summer 2026 in Colombia. The program will focus on — but not be limited to — free public screenings of films selected for the Competition. These screenings may be accompanied by discussions or other public events designed to deepen the films’ impact and engage audiences in dialogue.

The festival will also feature Industry Days — a professional program that connects filmmakers, producers, and social impact leaders, fostering thought-provoking conversations and new collaborations.

The festival culminates in an Awards Ceremony. Directors whose films are selected for the Competition will be invited to attend the festival and the ceremony, with travel and accommodation costs covered by the organizers.

FESTIVAL MISSION
- To strengthen the ties between cinema and social change.
- To find brave new voices and amplify them on a global scale.
- To support filmmakers who need it most by providing resources and networking within
the international community.
- To bring impact films to broad and diverse audiences and build bridges across regions.

WHAT FILMS ARE ELIGIBLE
For the 3d edition of Alternativa Film Festival, we welcome submissions from filmmakers across Latin America and Asia with diverse social and cultural backgrounds. Fiction films, documentaries, animation,
and hybrid films made by directors from countries and areas in Latin America and Asia and completed after January 1, 2025, are eligible for the Alternativa Film Festival Competition program. Having chosen Latin America as our current Focus Region, we are accepting short film entries exclusively from Latin America. You can find a full list of eligible countries in the Rules and Regulations.

WHO CHOOSES THE WINNERS?
The Competition program of the Alternativa Film Festival will be drawn up by the Selection Committee consisting of film critics and journalists, curators, and artistic and programming directors of film festivals as well as of impact producers and activists from Latin America, Asia, and other regions.
The Alternativa Film Festival winners will be chosen by the International Jury consisting of film directors and producers from Latin America, Asia, and other regions, as well as community leaders and NGO representatives.

Awards & Prizes

The Alternativa Film Awards recognize films that combine artistic excellence with the potential for significant social impact. They are presented in six categories with a total prize fund of $120,000. The monetary prize for the Spotlight, Future Voice, Alter, Nativa, and Focus Awards is $20,000 each. And the prize for the two Shorts Awards winners is $10,000.

The Awards for filmmakers from Latin America and Asia:

Spotlight / $20,000
Celebrating cinema that reveals the unseen. This award honors a film that brings overlooked stories into the light, inviting awareness and deeper public engagement with what is often ignored.

Future Voice / $20,000
Recognizing bold new talent. This award honors a first or second feature that demonstrates outstanding creative vision and the potential to bring positive change to both cinema and society.

Alter / $20,000
Championing the catalysts for change. This award honors a film that addresses critical issues and can inspire action, motivating audiences to take tangible steps toward transformation.

Nativa / $20,000
Illuminating identity. This award honors a film that explores national or cultural identity, portraying a place or community with depth and care, and giving global recognition to local voices.

The Awards for filmmakers from Latin America:

Focus / $20,000
Revealing the region’s challenges and hopes. This award honors a film that offers insight into the complexities of the current Alternativa Focus Region. With clarity and urgency, it depicts the realities shaping the future of this part of the world.

Shorts Awards / $10,000 each
Discovering the storytellers of tomorrow. This award honors two short films from the current Alternativa Focus Region and supports filmmakers who boldly forge their own paths with a strong vision for impact.

Rules & Terms

RULES & TERMS
You can find the full text of Rules & Regulations on our website alternativa.film

PRIVACY POLICY
You can find the full text of the Privacy Policy on our website alternativa.film

KEY REQUIREMENTS FOR THE PARTICIPANTS

Fiction films, documentaries, animation,
and hybrid films made by directors from countries and areas in Latin America and Asia and completed after January 1, 2025, are eligible for the Alternativa Film Festival Competition program.

The Selection Committee considers feature-length films created by directors from Latin America and Asia. The Selection Committee considers short films exclusively from the Focus Region of Latin America.

Our definition of сountries and areas in Latin America has been based on culture and heritage rather than politics, borders, or boundaries and includes: Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Martinique, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Puerto Rico, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela.

Our definition of сountries and areas in Asia has been based on culture and heritage rather than politics, borders, or boundaries and includes: Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Cambodia, China, DPRK (North Korea), East Timor (Timor-Leste), Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Mongolia, Myanmar, Nepal, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Qatar, Republic of Korea (South Korea), Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen.

The submission deadline for films world premiered before August 1, 2025 is September 1, 2025, 23:59 (UTC +7).
The submission deadline for films world premiered after August 1, 2025 is October 10, 2025, 23:59 (UTC +7).

ALTERNATIVA IMPACT FORM
(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REQUIRED BY THE FESTIVAL)

1. To complete a submission to the Alternativa Film Festival 2026, submitters must fill out the Impact Form (FilmFreeway custom submission form - additional information required by the Festival), which contains questions directed specifically to the filmmakers. Comprehensive answers are strongly encouraged.

2. If the Impact Form is completed by a Sales Agent, Festival Agent, Distributor, or other representative, we highly recommend consulting with the filmmaker beforehand. You can find a PDF of the Impact Form our website alternativa.film.

3. Please note that the Selection Committee and the International Jury will primarily evaluate the film itself. The Impact Form provides supplemental context for their review.

4. The answers in the Impact Form are for internal use by the Selection Committee, the International Jury, and the Alternativa Team only. This information will not be shared with third parties without prior consent from the submitter.

PLEASE NOTE THAT THE SELECTION COMMITTEE SHALL ONLY CONSIDER SUBMISSIONS WITH MEANINGFUL AND DETAILED ANSWERS TO ALL OF THE TEN IMPACT QUESTIONS OF OUR CUSTOM FORM

If you have any further questions regarding the Impact Form, please contact us at info@alternativa.film.

By filing this submission, you confirm that you fully accept the Rules & Regulations and the Privacy Policy of the Alternativa Film Festival 2026.

2 Reviews
Overall Rating
Quality
Value
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Networking
  • prithvi konanur

    To conduct a festival of films in a country that's not yours is in itself is an achievement. But to do that in an extremely professional, efficient, effective and fun way is even harder. Our film Mikka Bannada Hakki was part of the festival in November 2024. Everything was planned so smoothly that not once did I feel anything was missing. Communication was the best, which often can be a challenge for many festivals. Industry days provide an opportunity to interact with the professionals from across the world. I have nothing but praise. And winning the Spotlight award was the best way to end the festival on a high note. I would love to have our future films be a part of the festival in the future. I would strongly suggest all socially conscious filmmakers to make sure that you submit your film to this festival without failure.

    December 2024
    Helpful
  • Ali Beisekov

    A great experience in an amazing and interesting event.

    February 2024
    Helpful