Cinema: The Alternativa Festival heads to Africa in 2027, with $40,000 reserved for filmmakers from the continent

The international Alternativa film festival will hold its fourth edition in Africa in 2027, a first for the event, and applications are already open, reported the Nigerian daily Premium Times on October 30, 2026. The free film submission process was launched on Thursday, October 29, 2026, during the MIP Africa market and will close on March 1, 2027.

The total prize pool amounts to $120,000, distributed across seven categories. Three of these are reserved for African filmmakers: the Focus Award, with a $20,000 prize, and two short film awards of $10,000 each, totaling $40,000 that can only be awarded to directors from the continent. The short film competition is entirely reserved for them. Films must have been completed after January 1, 2026.

A festival funded by a ride-hailing company

Alternativa was founded by inDrive, a transport platform whose CEO is Arsen Tomsky; the festival is directed by Liza Surganova. The 2026 edition was held in Medellín, Colombia, and received 1,831 submissions from 55 countries, attracting 11,000 spectators and 107 international guests, according to Premium Times. In 2026, the organization also launched a distribution arm, Alternativa Distribution, which is presented as operating on a non-profit model.

The host country, city, and exact dates for the African edition have not yet been announced: the organization only mentions the end of 2027. "We want to build on everything we have achieved," the festival management stated, as quoted by Premium Times.

What this changes for African filmmakers

For filmmakers on the continent, the useful information can be summarized in three points: it is free, it is open to all countries, and the prizes are in dollars. African cinema is not lacking in talent or stories; it is lacking in access. Between a Nollywood that produces thousands of films per year and emerging industries in Nairobi, Dakar, Ouagadougou, or Kinshasa, access to funding and international distribution remains the real bottleneck.

Caution remains necessary as long as the location and precise terms are not published: a festival decided and funded from abroad also chooses the African narratives it deems exportable. However, a schedule known well in advance, free applications, and prize money earmarked for directors from the continent constitute a concrete opportunity. Applications must be submitted before March 1, 2027.