Alternativa Film Festival Opens Submissions in Africa
The fourth edition, backed by inDrive, will hold its first African edition in 2027 with $120,000 in prize money.
Updated on Nov. 3, 2026 in Africa
Alternativa Film Festival, founded and supported by global mobility company inDrive, opened submissions for its fourth edition on October 29, 2026, during MIP Africa in Cape Town. The 2027 African edition distributes $120,000 across seven award categories, with submissions accepted for free through the festival's official website.
Why it matters
The festival's expansion into Africa, alongside feature submissions from Asia and Latin America, creates a new route for African filmmakers to reach international competition and distribution. Three awards are reserved specifically for African filmmakers.
The festival distributes $120,000 (about KSh 15.5 million) across seven award categories, with three reserved for African filmmakers. The 2026 Medellín edition drew 1,831 film submissions from 55 countries, though the source does not state how many will be selected in 2027.
The players
Alternativa Film Festival
An international film festival that has held editions in Almaty, Yogyakarta and Medellín, and is now expanding into Africa.
inDrive
A global mobility company that founds and supports the Alternativa Film Festival.
The details
Filmmakers can submit feature films from Africa, Asia and Latin America, while short film entries for 2027 are open exclusively to African filmmakers. All films must have been completed after January 1, 2026, with a submission deadline of March 1, 2027. Directors whose films are selected for competition are invited to the festival and awards ceremony, with travel and accommodation covered by Alternativa.
Timeline
October 29, 2026: Submissions opened for the fourth edition during MIP Africa in Cape Town.
January 1, 2026: Earliest completion date for eligible submitted films.
March 1, 2027: Submission deadline for the 2027 edition.
Late 2027: Alternativa 2027 festival is scheduled to take place.
Industry Dynamics
The festival's first African edition follows a sequence of editions in Almaty (2023), Yogyakarta (2024) and Medellín (2026), extending a model of partnering with regional film markets. Opening calls at MIP Africa in Cape Town connects the festival to the continent's existing co-production and distribution network.
Filmmakers can submit for free through the festival's official website before the March 1, 2027 deadline. Films must have been completed after January 1, 2026, and short film entries are restricted to African filmmakers.
The takeaway
For filmmakers, the rules make eligibility concrete: check the completion date and category restrictions before the March 1, 2027 deadline. Free submission lowers the cost of entering a festival with a $120,000 prize pool.
What happens next
The submission deadline for the 2027 edition is March 1, 2027, and the festival is scheduled to take place in late 2027.
Further reading
For more on the continent's film and travel landscape, explore our Africa coverage.
