HOW IT WAS
For the inaugural Alternativa Film Awards, films from across Asia were eligible, with the Shorts Award category reserved exclusively for works from Central Asia, our focus region in 2023. The winners were selected by the International Jury, presided over by director and producer Brillante Mendoza – the first Filipino to receive the Best Director award at Cannes. The awards ceremony highlights included a speech by inDrive founder Arsen Tomsky and performances by Almaty dance and music artists. Leading up to the ceremony, we also hosted Industry Days, offering public talks on impactful cinema and the Central Asian film industry.
350 submissions from 25 Asian countries
14 feature-length and 7 short films in the shortlist
3 public talks at Industry Days
Winners 2023
BRIDE KIDNAPPING / KYZ ALA KACHUU
Umut, 19 years old, lives with her mother in the city suburbs and works as a nurse in a hospital. She becomes a randomly selected victim of «bride kidnapping». The film is based on numerous true stories of girls and women who became victims of «bride kidnapping» in Kyrgyzstan. Hiding behind an ancient tradition, which has been greatly distorted in modern times, men abduct women and force them into marriage.
Bauryna Salu
Following an old Kazakh tradition called «bauryna salu», Yersultan was given to his grandmother at birth, so she could raise him. He grew up with resentment and a sense of disconnection from his parents. When he turned 12, his grandmother passed away, and he had to move back in with the family he barely knows. Yersultan's coming-of-age process coincides with an overwhelming transformation and an attempt to restore his relationship with his parents, especially his father.
Streets Loud with Echoes / QORYQPA
In the heart of the biggest city in Kazakhstan, amid a summer day, a cruel and tragic event unfolds that unexpectedly forges a bond among the locals. A young documentary filmmaker captures the ongoing events to understand how people respond to the shared pain. The author identifies two of her peers within the emerging civil movement – an empathetic, courageous journalist and a determined political scientist. Observing them, she witnesses how society reclaims its right to speak out.
No Winter Holidays
Ratima and Kalima were once married to the same man. Now they must forget the past and keep each other alive as they take care of an empty, snowbound village.
NOMINEES 2023
BRIDE KIDNAPPING / KYZ ALA KACHUU
Umut, 19 years old, lives with her mother in the city suburbs and works as a nurse in a hospital. She becomes a randomly selected victim of «bride kidnapping». The film is based on numerous true stories of girls and women who became victims of «bride kidnapping» in Kyrgyzstan. Hiding behind an ancient tradition, which has been greatly distorted in modern times, men abduct women and force them into marriage.
Bauryna Salu
Following an old Kazakh tradition called «bauryna salu», Yersultan was given to his grandmother at birth, so she could raise him. He grew up with resentment and a sense of disconnection from his parents. When he turned 12, his grandmother passed away, and he had to move back in with the family he barely knows. Yersultan's coming-of-age process coincides with an overwhelming transformation and an attempt to restore his relationship with his parents, especially his father.
Streets Loud with Echoes / QORYQPA
In the heart of the biggest city in Kazakhstan, amid a summer day, a cruel and tragic event unfolds that unexpectedly forges a bond among the locals. A young documentary filmmaker captures the ongoing events to understand how people respond to the shared pain. The author identifies two of her peers within the emerging civil movement – an empathetic, courageous journalist and a determined political scientist. Observing them, she witnesses how society reclaims its right to speak out.
No Winter Holidays
Ratima and Kalima were once married to the same man. Now they must forget the past and keep each other alive as they take care of an empty, snowbound village.
JURY 2023
Brillante Mendoza
PhilippinesPrasanna Vithanage
Sri LankaGita Saedi Kiely
USARintu Thomas
IndiaAna Chubinidze
GeorgiaVyacheslav Abramov
KazakhstanRuslan Akun
KyrgyzstanBayan Alaguzova
Kazakhstan
SELECTION COMMITTEE
Gulnara Abikeyeva
KazakhstanSharofat Arabova
TajikistanAleksei Artamonov
UzbekistanRahat Asangulova
KyrgyzstanBirgit Beumers
United KingdomPhilip Cheah
IndonesiaIrina Engelis
RussiaSona Karapoghosyan
ArmeniaSafar Hakdodov
TajikistanValeriya Kim
uzbekistanKim Young-woo
South KoreaOlga Malysheva
KazakhstanMadi Mambetov
KazakhstanZarina Mukanova
KazakhstanAmir Musaev
KazakhstanAlexandra Porshneva
RussiaAleksei Rumyantsev
TajikistanDante Rustav
uzbekistanSwetlana Slapke
GermanyGulbara Tolomushova
KyrgyzstanSultan Usuvaliev
KyrgyzstanYerzhan Zhumabekov
KazakhstanAsel Zhuraeva
Kyrgyzstan
Alternativa Film screenings
Free public events that showcase nominees and winners of the Alternativa Film Festival, blending screenings with impact discussions and online features to raise awareness, spark dialogue, and drive social change.
