Alternativa's first-ever festival showcasing all the nominated titles in free public screenings was a huge success, with demand exceeding capacity. Each screening was followed by an impact discussion, engaging audiences in dialogue about the significant social topics the films address.
Alternativa FilmĀ Festival 2024
In 2024, the Alternativa Film Awards held its second edition in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, introducing festival screenings of the nominated titles alongside impact discussions for the first time. The event also featured Industry Days, presenting a rich program of events for filmmakers, producers, and impact organizations, aimed at strengthening the connection between film and social change.
How it was
For AFAF 2024, filmmakers from across Asia could submit feature-length films, while short films were accepted exclusively from Southeast Asia. The shortlisted films, diverse in both style and form, explored impactful topics such as identity, gender inequality, childrenās and teensā rights, living with disabilities, and more. To ensure that the event resonated with the unique pulse of Southeast Asia, the Alternativa team closely collaborated with regional institutions, universities, and festivals.
680 eligible submissionsātwice as many as the previous year
25 <p>films from 14 Asian countries selected</p>
9 <p>out of 13 selected feature-length films made by first-time filmmakers</p>
2,289 viewers at 14 festival screenings
8 public talks and 25 mentorship sessions during Industry Days
215 team members, including 186 local hires
Alternativa's first-ever festival showcasing all the nominated titles in free public screenings was a huge success, with demand exceeding capacity. Each screening was followed by an impact discussion, engaging audiences in dialogue about the significant social topics the films address.
Alternativa's first-ever festival showcasing all the nominated titles in free public screenings was a huge success, with demand exceeding capacity. Each screening was followed by an impact discussion, engaging audiences in dialogue about the significant social topics the films address.
Alternativa's first-ever festival showcasing all the nominated titles in free public screenings was a huge success, with demand exceeding capacity. Each screening was followed by an impact discussion, engaging audiences in dialogue about the significant social topics the films address.
Alternativa's first-ever festival showcasing all the nominated titles in free public screenings was a huge success, with demand exceeding capacity. Each screening was followed by an impact discussion, engaging audiences in dialogue about the significant social topics the films address.
Alternativa's first-ever festival showcasing all the nominated titles in free public screenings was a huge success, with demand exceeding capacity. Each screening was followed by an impact discussion, engaging audiences in dialogue about the significant social topics the films address.
Alternativa's first-ever festival showcasing all the nominated titles in free public screenings was a huge success, with demand exceeding capacity. Each screening was followed by an impact discussion, engaging audiences in dialogue about the significant social topics the films address.
Alternativa's first-ever festival showcasing all the nominated titles in free public screenings was a huge success, with demand exceeding capacity. Each screening was followed by an impact discussion, engaging audiences in dialogue about the significant social topics the films address.
Alternativa's first-ever festival showcasing all the nominated titles in free public screenings was a huge success, with demand exceeding capacity. Each screening was followed by an impact discussion, engaging audiences in dialogue about the significant social topics the films address.
Alternativa's first-ever festival showcasing all the nominated titles in free public screenings was a huge success, with demand exceeding capacity. Each screening was followed by an impact discussion, engaging audiences in dialogue about the significant social topics the films address.
Alternativa's first-ever festival showcasing all the nominated titles in free public screenings was a huge success, with demand exceeding capacity. Each screening was followed by an impact discussion, engaging audiences in dialogue about the significant social topics the films address.
Alternativa's first-ever festival showcasing all the nominated titles in free public screenings was a huge success, with demand exceeding capacity. Each screening was followed by an impact discussion, engaging audiences in dialogue about the significant social topics the films address.
Awards ceremony
AFAF 2024 culminated in an awards ceremony hosted by Indonesian actress and activist Hannah Al Rashid. Around 300 guests gathered at GIK UKM, a super creative hub of Universitas Gadjah Mada, to marvel at the show curated by Yudi Ahmad Tahudin, the artistic director of Garasi Performance Institute. The event embraced the vision of a pluriverse where diverse human stories converge. As the ceremony concluded, we announced Alternativa's new focus region ā Latin America.
Winners
Spotlight Award
BIRD OF A DIFFERENT FEATHER / MIKKA BANNADA HAKKI
Sonia is a 12-year-old girl with albinism from a poor village near Bengaluru. Bullied at school and neglected at home, she struggles to find acceptance, but gradually grows into a confident young woman who learns to embrace herself.
Future Voice Award
CU LI NEVER CRIES / CU LI KHĆNG BAO GIį» KHĆC
A woman tries to cling onto dimming links to her past after inheriting a pygmy slow loris from her long-estranged husband. Meanwhile, her niece prepares for marriage as the young couple ponders their gloomy future together. The present and the complex echoes of Vietnamese history are entwined before a contemplative and poetic perspective.
Alter Award
GRAND ME
After her parents' divorce, Melina lives with her grandparents but wants to be with her mother. On her 9th birthday, she takes her custody case to court, hoping to choose her custodian, unaware of the complexities involved.
Nativa Award
THE ADAMANT GIRL / KOTTUKKAALI
When a 21-year-old girl falls in love with a boy from an oppressed caste, her infuriated family believes that she is possessed by his love spell. They ruthlessly drag her to a distant village shaman to erase all her memories of him by performing witchcraft and sacrificing a rooster. The girlās innocent future is now dictated by the violent misogynistic patriarchs and their regressive ideologies.
Jury
An independent international panel of socially responsible filmmakers and impact experts from all over the world who determined the AFAF 2024 winners.
Anand Gandhi
India
Steffi Niederzoll
Germany
Carol Misorelli
Brazil
Asmara Abigail
Indonesia
Kamila Andini
Indonesia
Katerina Suvorova
Kazakhstan
Amir Masoud Soheili
Iran
Anand Gandhi
India
Steffi Niederzoll
Germany
Carol Misorelli
Brazil
Asmara Abigail
Indonesia
Kamila Andini
Indonesia
Katerina Suvorova
Kazakhstan
Amir Masoud Soheili
Iran
Selection Committee
A team of professionals, including festival and cultural center curators, film critics, directors, producers, and cultural journalists from Southeast Asia and beyond. Together, they reviewed submissions and compiled the AFAF 2024 shortlist.
Adrian Jonathan PASARIBU
Indonesia
Yuki ADITYA
Indonesia
Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala
Philippines
Darmawan Triwibowo
Indonesia
Martin HORYNA
Czechia
Gulnara ABIKEYEVA
Kazakhstan
Sharofat ARABOVA
Tajikistan
HĆ Lį» Diį» m
Vietnam
Rajan KATHET
Nepal
John Badalu
Indonesia
Alia DAMAIHATI
Indonesia
Sugar NADIA
Indonesia
Varadila NURDIN
Indonesia
Nauval YAZID
Indonesia
Lulu RATNA
Indonesia
Chong Lee YOW
Malaysia
Thaiddhi
Myanmar
Marcus Mįŗ”nh CĘ°į»ng VÅ©
Vietnam
TRĘÆĘ NG Quįŗæ Chi
Vietnam
Chalida UABUMRUNGJIT
Thailand
Sein Lyan Tun
Myanmar
Baby Ruth VILLARAMA
Philippines
Kavich NEANG
Cambodia
Nurain ABDULLAH
Brunei
Adrian Jonathan PASARIBU
Indonesia
Yuki ADITYA
Indonesia
Kara Magsanoc-Alikpala
Philippines
Darmawan Triwibowo
Indonesia
Martin HORYNA
Czechia
Gulnara ABIKEYEVA
Kazakhstan
Sharofat ARABOVA
Tajikistan
HĆ Lį» Diį»
m
Vietnam
Rajan KATHET
Nepal
John Badalu
Indonesia
Alia DAMAIHATI
Indonesia
Sugar NADIA
Indonesia
Varadila NURDIN
Indonesia
Nauval YAZID
Indonesia
Lulu RATNA
Indonesia
Chong Lee YOW
Malaysia
Thaiddhi
Myanmar
Marcus Mįŗ”nh CĘ°į»ng VÅ©
Vietnam
TRĘÆĘ NG Quįŗæ Chi
Vietnam
Chalida UABUMRUNGJIT
Thailand
Sein Lyan Tun
Myanmar
Baby Ruth VILLARAMA
Philippines
Kavich NEANG
Cambodia
Nurain ABDULLAH
Brunei
Alternativa FilmĀ Days
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.
