Alternativa is 3!

Three years ago, in September 2023, Alternativa began with a belief in the transformative power of cinema. Since then, we’ve travelled from Central Asia to Southeast Asia and Latin America, bringing together filmmakers, impact leaders, partners, audiences, and communities from across the Global South around stories that spark conversations, shift perspectives, and inspire action.

As Alternativa turns three, we look back at the people, places, and stories that have shaped our journey — and share where we’re heading next.

2023: Where It All Began

Alternativa launched in Central Asia with its first Film Awards in Almaty, Kazakhstan, bringing 21 feature and short films into competition and presenting 7 Film Awards.

That same year, 3 Film Labs welcomed participants from all Central Asian countries. The Alternativa community began to take shape, bringing together filmmakers, mentors, and partners around impactful stories.

2024: Growing into a Festival, Reaching Beyond It

In 2024, Alternativa moved to Southeast Asia, with the Film Awards evolving into a full-scale Festival in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, featuring free public screenings, discussions, and a professional programme. The Festival showcased 25 films from 14 Asian countries and welcomed 2,289 viewers, while Industry Days connected filmmakers with experts through public talks and 25 one-to-one mentorship sessions.

Meanwhile, our Film Labs continued in Central Asia, with more than 700 people attending open lectures, workshops, and screenings.

We also began taking films beyond the festival circuit. The first Alternativa Film Days brought impactful cinema to audiences in Almaty and Bishkek. Our impact campaign around Bride Kidnapping, aimed at raising awareness of gender-based violence, reached more than 9,000 viewers through cinema and community screenings and an 18-day online release across Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan.

2025: Building Bridges Across Regions

In 2025, our focus shifted to Latin America. The open call for the third Alternativa Film Festival became the largest in our history, attracting 1,831 submissions from 55 countries across Latin America and Asia.

At the same time, our work continued in the regions where the journey began. Two Film Labs took place in Central and Southeast Asia, while the second Alternativa Film Days in Almaty presented 27 films alongside 12 discussions featuring 44 speakers and experts.

Together with IDEA Central Asia, we launched Film Talks in schools across Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, where more than 1,000 students watched and discussed films created by young people from the region.

Our films also began reaching audiences at home. Kazakhstan-based Freedom Media became the first streaming platform to host an Alternativa Film Collection, featuring Festival titles and works by Film Labs alumni.

2026: Helping Films Travel Further

This April, the third Alternativa Film Festival brought impact cinema from Latin America and Asia to Medellín, Colombia. Over ten days, the Festival presented 37 films across 42 screenings and welcomed 11,200 attendees. More than 100 international guests and 51 local partners joined us in Medellín, while the Festival generated over 1,600 media publications worldwide.

This year also marked the launch of Cinema for Change: Impact Distribution, Alternativa’s first free and self-paced online course. Developed from our Impact Distribution Lab, the course offers international expertise, case studies, and practical tools for anyone who wants to use stories to create social change.

In July, we took another major step and launched Alternativa Distribution, our non-profit distribution label dedicated to bringing impactful films from the Global South to audiences worldwide through a fair model that supports filmmakers and local film industries.

And the Journey Continues

From Almaty to Yogyakarta and Medellín, every new region has changed us. Each filmmaker, participant, mentor, speaker, partner, volunteer, and audience member has helped Alternativa grow into what it is today. We want to thank inDrive CEO and founder Arsen Tomsky, whose idea started it all, and Liza Surganova, who led Alternativa through its first three years — as well as everyone who has been part of this journey. 

Our next stop is Africa, where the fourth Alternativa Film Festival will take place in 2027. A new region, new voices, and a new chapter are already ahead.

Three years in, we are only getting started!