Get Guardian on GoogleAlternativa Film Festival has opened submissions for its 2027 edition, which will be held in Africa for the first time.
The fourth edition of the festival, founded and supported by global mobility company inDrive, will accept feature films from Africa, Asia and Latin America.
Short film submissions, however, are restricted to filmmakers from Africa, which has been selected as the festival’s focus region for 2027.
According to the organisers, all submitted films must have been completed after January 1, 2026. The submission deadline is March 1, 2027, and entries are free through the festival’s website.
The festival will offer $120,000 in prize money across seven award categories. Three awards, comprising the $20,000 Focus Award and two $10,000 Short Film Awards, are reserved for African filmmakers. African entries will also be eligible for the other categories.
Directors of films selected for the competition will be invited to attend the festival and awards ceremony, with their travel and accommodation expenses covered by the organisers.
The 2027 edition is scheduled to hold in late 2027, although the host country, city and exact dates have yet to be announced.
Founded as a travelling film festival, Alternativa has held previous editions in Almaty, Kazakhstan, in 2023; Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2024; and Medellín, Colombia, in 2026.
The Medellín edition received 1,831 submissions from 55 countries, attracted about 11,000 attendees and hosted 107 international guests, according to the organisers.
Speaking on the decision to bring the festival to Africa, Head of Alternativa, Liza Surganova, said the edition would create opportunities for filmmakers across the Global South to connect and share their work.
The festival will feature public screenings, discussions and industry events, including Industry Days, a professional programme that brings together filmmakers, producers and other film industry practitioners.
Films selected for the 2027 edition may also be considered for Alternativa Distribution, the organisation’s distribution initiative, which focuses on films from the Global South.
