Alternativa Film Project Unveils Shortlisted Films & Jury For 2024 Edition In Indonesia

EXCLUSIVE: The Alternativa Film Project, a global non-profit film initiative founded by technology company inDrive, has unveiled its shortlisted films and jury for the upcoming Alternativa Film Awards.

This year’s edition will be hosted in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, on November 29. Last year’s edition was held in Almaty, Kazakhstan.

Organizers said that the Alternativa Film Awards aims to recognize films that address important social and cultural topics, and which also have an ambition to positively affect the lives of people and local communities.

This year’s edition received 670 submissions for the awards, twice as many as last year’s, with 25 films selected, including 13 feature-length films and 12 shorts, from 14 Asian countries and across 20 different languages.

Female-directed films make up nearly half of the selection and of the feature-length films, nine are debut works.

Jury members for this year’s edition include Indian filmmaker Anand Gandhi, Indonesian director Kamila Andini, German filmmaker and author Steffi Niederzoll, Indonesian actress Asmara Abigail, Kazakhstani filmmaker Katerina Suvorova, Iranian filmmaker Amir Masoud Soheili and Brazil’s co-founder and co-director of the Taturana Institute, Carol Misorelli.

The Alternativa Film Festival, running from November 22-28, will also take place alongside the awards ceremony, featuring public screenings and discussions for the shortlisted films.

This year, a three-day Industry Days program, aimed at fostering connections between filmmakers, producers, and social impact leaders from Southeast Asia, will also be held between November 27-29.

Here are the shortlisted films, which also form the festival’s lineup:

FEATURES

AFTER THE SNOWMELT
Director: Yi-Shan Lo
Taiwan, 2024
Genre: Documentary
Languages: Mandarin, Nepali, English

BIRD OF A DIFFERENT FEATHER
Director: Manohara K
India, 2024
Genre: Drama, Comedy
Languages: Kannada

BREAKING THE CYCLE
Director: Aekaphong Saransate, Thanakrit Duangmaneeporn
Thailand, 2024
Genre: Documentary
Languages: Thai

CU LI NEVER CRIES
Director: Pham Ngoc Lan
Vietnam, 2024
Genre: Drama
Languages: Vietnamese

DEVI
Director: Subina Shrestha
Nepal, 2024
Genre: Documentary
Languages: Nepali

GRAND ME
Director: Atiye Zare Arandi
Iran, 2024
Genre: Documentary
Languages: Persian

THE ADAMANT GIRL
Director: Vinothraj PS
India, 2024
Genre: Drama
Languages: Tamil

MADINA
Director: Aizhan Kassymbek
Kazakhstan, 2023
Genre: Drama
Languages: Kazakh

PIERCE
Director: Nelicia Low
Singapore, 2024
Genre: Thriller, Drama, Sports
Languages: Mandarin

SABA
Director: Maksud Hossain
Bangladesh, 2024
Genre: Drama
Languages: Bengali

TALE OF THE LAND
Director: Loeloe Hendra Komara
Indonesia, 2024
Genre: Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Languages: Indonesian

THE GIFT
Director: Dalmira Tilepbergen
Kyrgyzstan, 2023
Genre: Drama
Languages: Kirghiz

WOMEN FROM ROTE ISLAND
Director: Jeremias Nyangoen
Indonesia, 2023
Genre: Drama
Languages: Bahasa Rote (Daerah Indonesia)

SHORTS

#TEENS / #BAGETS
Director: Lester Cristal
Philippines, 2023
Genre: Social Drama
Languages: English, Filipino

A CLEANING SERVICE
Director: Nguyen Duy Anh
Vietnam, 2024
Genre: Documentary
Languages: Vietnamese

DEAR DAUGHTER
Director: Hsu Pan Naing
Myanmar, 2023
Genre: Animation, Documentary
Languages: Burmese