Awards Ceremony
I’m drawn to Alternativa Film Festival because it treats cinema as something that travels and transforms, not only as something we watch. In Medellín, the Orquideorama won’t be a backdrop. It will be a living actor, an architecture that listens and orients. The ceremony will be activated through sound cues born from the garden itself, biodiversity soundscapes, climate, distance, opening zones, screens, and chapters one by one.
Instead of a frontal, seated gala, we propose a journey, a spatial grammar where each award is discovered from shifting viewpoints. It’s an expanded cinema experience in which the audience doesn’t simply look at the films, they inhabit the ceremony around them.
Awards
Seven Alternativa Film Awards were presented in six categories with a total prize fund of $120,000. In 2026, Focus Award, as well as two Short Awards, were dedicated exclusively for Latin American filmmakers.
SPOTLIGHT — 9-Month Contract
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 — A Useful Ghost
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 — Cutting Through Rocks
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 — Lost Land
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.
FOCUS — Runa Simi
Revealing a 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 AWARD — Blue Heart
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.
SHORTS AWARD — Casa Chica
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.
SHORTS HONORABLE MENTION — Present in the Big Events
The Shorts Jury further granted an Honorable Mention to a short film whose compelling storytelling and powerful perspective left a lasting impression.