Alternativa and Freedom bring impact cinema online

The curated selection features award-winning titles and audience favorites from the Alternativa Film Festival, as well as stories created by participants and alumni of our Film Labs — films that shed light on urgent social issues, invite reflection, and spark dialogue. As part of assembling this collection, we acquired the Kyrgyz drama “Deal at the Border” to help broaden its reach and distribution. The partnership with Freedom Media began during Alternativa Film Days in Almaty, and the collection will remain available to subscribers until September 2026.

Covering topics from women’s rights and ecological justice to migration and human trafficking, the collection includes “Bride Kidnapping” — winner of the Alternativa Spotlight Award 2023, a stark portrayal of forced marriage traditions in Kazakhstan — and “We Live Here”, a moving exploration of the lasting legacy of the Semipalatinsk nuclear test site, directed by our Pitching Training alumna Zhanana Kurmasheva. Viewers can also discover short films created by teenagers from Bishkek and Tashkent in the Alternativa Teen Labs. Each title in the collection stands out not only for its artistic excellence but also for its deeply human perspective on the social realities shaping the region.

Alternativa Film Collection: Selected Titles

We Live Here, 2025, Documentary, Kazakhstan

In the Kazakh steppe, at a former Soviet nuclear site, over 456 nuclear tests left a legacy of radioactive contamination and suffering. As ecologists map uninhabitable zones, a nearby family struggles with the echoes of the past. Convinced their daughter’s illness stems from radiation, they search for proof, while she feels torn between love for her homeland and the looming danger it holds. The steppe becomes a haunting metaphor for our planet, on the brink of becoming a nuclear wasteland.

The Gift, 2023, Drama, Kyrgyzstan

Based on true events, this drama follows 7-year-old Arno, who believes that the mole on her lip is a gift from God and that all her wishes will come true. Arno lives with her family in a remote mountain pasture in Central Asia, leading a carefree life and wishing to be the son her father longs for. But as civilization encroaches, the family’s way of life is threatened. Unfulfilled desires begin to surface, leading to an unexpected tragedy.

Bird of a Different Feather, 2024, Drama, Comedy, India

Coming-of-age story of a 12-year-old girl with albinism. Sonia comes from a poor family in a small village near Bengaluru. Her alcoholic father disdains her for what she is, and her mother is helpless. In high school, Sonia is introduced to new classmates who are not only discriminatory because of her looks, but even hostile. The story explores her transformation from a shy, self-pitying, hopeless teenager to a mature young woman who learns to live in peace with herself and her surroundings.

Deal at the Border, 2024, Drama, Kyrgyzstan

Aza and Samat, two drug runners navigating the secret routes in the mountains of Central Asia, stumble upon Nazik, a young girl fleeing from slavery. When Nazik is recaptured by a local criminal, facing a grim return to captivity, Aza resolves to rescue her, whatever it takes.

Bride Kidnapping, 2023, Drama, Kyrgyzstan

Umut, a 19-year-old nurse living with her mother in the suburbs, becomes a randomly selected victim of "bride kidnapping". The film is based on numerous true cases of girls and women abducted and forced into marriage in Kyrgyzstan. Umut's dramatic story compels reflection on

The Prisoner of Wakhan, 2023, Documentary,  Kyrgyzstan

In the Wakhan Corridor in Afghanistan, between the Himalayan and Pamir mountains, lives the last nomadic Kyrgyz tribe of 2,000 souls. They barely survive at an extreme altitude but enjoy sublime freedom. Kyrgyzstan's government invites Nurulkhak and some of his tribe "to save their very existence." Although they speak the same language, serious divisions arise between the nomads and their host Kyrgyz society. Feeling trapped and disillus

Shorts

The Moon Shows the Way, 2023, Drama, Kyrgyzstan

The day in the small village of Kyzyl-Korgon passes quietly as 18-year-old Akylai hurries to school. Since childhood, she has dreamed of freedom and of life in the big city. News reaches her right at the doorstep: her parents announce that everything has already been decided — matchmakers will come, and a groom has already been chosen. Her life is meant to change in an instant, but on the night before the wedding, an event occurs that will alter the fate of the entire family.

There will be Snow, 2023, Drama, Kyrgyzstan

A tiny Kyrgyz village. New Year’s Eve. 15-year-old Zhakshylyk comes home from boarding school to spend the holidays with his grandfather. His father is in prison, his mother works abroad, and his grandfather is the boy’s only close relative. Zhakshylyk has gotten into serious trouble at school. Now, through silence and awkward conversations, his grandfather must find out what happened and how to help him.

But the Light Shines Through the Leaves, 2023, Documentary, Kyrgyzstan

This film is based on the dreams of teenagers who participated in the Alternativa Teen Lab in Bishkek. Dreams feel both personal and distant, so sharing them isn’t as frightening as talking about yourself. These stories carry our fears, culture, and hopes. By discussing and transforming dreams into images, the teens discovered whole universes within one another. Now they invite you to enter this space — where the film, like a dream or a poem, follows its own logic, different from everyday life.

The full collection is available at https://fmedia.kz/row/alternativa-film-days-2025