Alternativa Film Fest showcases new talent from Latin America and Asia

Photographs from as far away as Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Japan, Brazil and Georgia took part in the Alternativa Film Festival, the fast-growing nomad festival that kicked off in Kazakhstan, continued in Indonesia and celebrated its third edition in Medellín, Colombia.

The festival, founded by technology company inDrive, has shortlisted a total of 30 competition films, 15 features and 15 short films, with a further seven selected for the out-of-competition line-up, led by Cannes Un Certain Regard top winner, “The Mysterious Gaze of the Flamingo.”

The lineup included works from 10 Latin American countries, 10 Asian countries and in 18 different languages. Feature films, fiction and non-fiction, from Latin America and Asia, while the short film categories were reserved exclusively for Latin America.

Among the 15 feature film candidates were critically acclaimed titles such as Argentina’s ‘Belén’, Peruvian ‘Runa Simi’, Thailand’s ‘A Useful Ghost’, Oscar-nominated ‘Cutting Through Rocks’ and Sundance winner ‘Cactus Pears’.

The third Alternativa Film Festival ran from April 21 to 30.

‘A useful mind’ (“Pee Chai Dai Ka”) Ratchapoom Boonbunchachoke, Thailand

Produced by 185 Films (Bangkok) with Haut les Mains (France), Momo Film Co. (Singapore) and Mayana Films (Germany). The producers are Cattleya Paosrijaroen, Soros Sukhum. The cast consists of Davika Hoorne, Witsarut Himmarat, Apasiri Nitibhon, Wanlop Rungkumjad, Wisarut Homhuan. The debut feature follows Nat, a deceased woman who returns as a ghost who possesses a vacuum cleaner to protect her family by removing other ghosts. Released in multiple territories. As the director notes: “For anyone who appreciates a love story between a human and a vacuum cleaner.”

“Become,” Zhannat Alshanova, Kazakhstan

Produced by Films de Force Majeure (France), Accidental Films, Volya Films, M-Films and Kjellson & Wiks, the film premiered in the Filmmakers of the Present section at the 2025 Locarno Film Festival. Producers include Jean-Laurent Csinidis, Zhannat Alshanova, Denis Vaslin, Marija Razgute and co-producer Marie Kjellson. Written and directed by Alshanova, the film is set in Kazakhstan and follows 17-year-old Mila, who joins a swim team looking for structure but faces increasing pressure and the fear of losing her place. “’Becoming’ is the result of an unusual co-production that brings together five countries that rarely work together,” says Jean-Laurent Csinidis of Films de Force Majeure.

“Belen,” Dolores Fonzi, Argentina

Written by Laura Paredes and Fonzi, it stars Fonzi, Camila Plaate, Laura Paredes, Julieta Cardinali and Luis Machín. Based on a true story that sparked an international movement, the film follows Julieta, a young woman falsely accused of infanticide, and Soledad Deza, the lawyer who takes on her explosive case. Set in Tucumán, Argentina, the trial becomes a flashpoint in the fight for reproductive rights as a corrupt, classist and patriarchal system closes in. Produced by K&S Films, the producers are Leticia Cristi, Hugo Sigman and Matías Mosteirin.

“Brigitte, Planet B,” (“Brigitte, Planeta B”) Santiago Posada, Colombia

The documentary, produced by Colombia’s Dynamo and Pando with support from Caracol TV, is directed and written by Posada and produced by Vivian Valencia. It centers on Brigitte Baptiste, Ph.D., a leading Colombian environmental scientist and influential transgender public figure. The film follows her life and ideas through observational, archival and animation, exploring how her ecological thinking and public presence challenge scientific and social conventions while addressing themes of identity, family and the future of the planet.

“Cactus pears” (“Sabar Bonda”), Rohan Parashuram Kanawade, UK

UK-based Lotus Visual Productions continues to expand its profile with internationally resonant South Asian stories. “Cactus Pears” premiered at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival and won the World Cinema Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic. The film follows a grieving man who builds a vulnerable bond with a local farmer during a period of mourning in rural India. Backed by global sales agent MPM Premium, with distribution by Strand Releasing (North America) and India’s Spirit Media, the film will have a theatrical release in the UK on June 19, 2026, accompanied by a nationwide tour with the director.

‘Cutting through rocks’ Sara Khaki; Mohammadreza Eyni, USA

US-based Gandom Films Production focuses on socially driven, character-driven stories, with titles such as ‘Our Iranian Lockdown’ and ‘The Friend’s House’. The Oscar-nominated documentary follows Sara Shahverdi, a trailblazing councilor in a conservative Iranian village, who trains teenage girls to ride motorcycles while fighting to end child marriage. As accusations mount, her mission (and identity) are tested. Eight years in the making, the film is being handled internationally by Aulook.

“Gemstones” (“Piedras preciosas”), Simón Vélez, Colombia, Portugal

Written by Paulo Carneiro and Vélez, produced by Triángulo with Bam Bam Cinema. The cast includes Juan Lugo, Laura Taurines, Sofía Jaramillo, Yira Plaza, Daniel Cortés. Based in Medellín, Triángulo is known for its collaborative auteur cinema, with titles such as ‘Los Conductos’ and Berlinale Silver Bear Best Director winner ‘Pepe’. The film follows Machado, a Colombian living in France who is hired to steal an emerald in Medellín, whose plan unravels when he becomes entangled in a series of events that force him to reconsider his mission. Premiered at the Berlinale with Colombian distribution by Cineplex.

“Lost Land” (“Hàrà Watan”), Akio Fujimoto, Japan, Malaysia, France, Germany

A multi-country co-production led by ExN KK with Cinemata, Panorama Films, Scarlet Visions and Elom Initiatives. Produced by Kazutaka Watanabe, Elise Shick, Angèle de Lorme, Christian Jilka and Sujauddin Karimuddin. Built as a borderless collaboration across Asia and Europe, the story follows the game of hide and seek, displaced lives, navigating broken borders and shifting identities. It follows journeys shaped by loss, survival and the quest for belonging, across continents.

“Heaven Only Knows” (“Dünüyö”), Nurzhamal Karamoldoeva, Kyrgyzstan, USA

From Paradigma N, an independent production company based in Bishkek, focused on socially engaged stories and underrepresented Central Asian perspectives, with titles such as ‘Madrasah’, ‘Who Is Next?’ and ‘Invisible traces’. Produced by Aziza Khalbekova, the film follows Mira, a Kyrgyz immigrant in Chicago whose husband disappears amid debt and betrayal. Her quest unravels the fragile foundations of their American dream and becomes a journey to self-liberation. The first feature film made with the support of the Kyrgyz diaspora in Chicago, says Karamoldoeva.

“Queer as punk” Yihwen Chen, Malaysia

Based in Kuala Lumpur, Locke Films has collaborated with Netflix, BBC, Euronews and Channel News Asia. Key titles include ‘The Boys Club’ and ‘Queer As Punk’, which premiered at the Berlinale and has screened at more than 65 festivals around the world. The film, co-produced with Talamedia, follows a queer punk band in Malaysia as they navigate identity, music and resistance in a conservative environment. As Chen notes, what started as a film about a punk band in Malaysia captures the intersection of music, identity, and political risk.

“Runa Simi,” Augusto Zegarra, Peru

From Alaska 88, a documentary-oriented company based in Peru, with major titles such as ‘Wiñaymanta’ and ‘Runa Simi’. Documentary follows Fernando Valencia, a voice actor from Cusco, and his son Dylan as he tries to copy “The Lion King” into Quechua, the language of the Incas. His journey to preserve his language forces him to confront identity, fatherhood and cultural inheritance. As Zegarra notes, it is “a story of resistance, memory and heritage… a protest through tenderness.” Benjamin Bratt is executive producer.

“The Condor Daughter” (“La Hija Cóndor”) Álvaro Olmos Torrico, Bolivia, Peru, Uruguay

Founded in La Paz in 2009, Empatía Cinema focuses on indigenous perspectives and native languages ​​such as Quechua and Aymara. Major titles include ‘San Antonio’, ‘The Visitor’, ‘The Ones from Below’ and ‘The Condor Daughter’. The drama, produced in collaboration with Ayara Producciones and LaMayor Cine, follows a young indigenous woman who confronts tradition, identity and transformation in the Bolivian highlands. As Olmos Torrico’s work often reflects, it bridges modern life and ancestral culture through an intimate, local view.

‘The Nature of Invisible Things’ (“A natureza das coisas invisveis”), Rafaela Camelo, Brazil, Chile

A co-production between Moveo Filmes (Brasília), Pinda Producciones (Santiago) and Apoteótica Cinematográfica (Brasília). Produced by Daniela Marinho, Rebeca Gutiérrez Campos, Otavio Chamorro and Camelo. The coming-of-age drama, which had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival (Generation Kplus, Opening Film), follows two girls who form a bond in a hospital as they deal with illness, memory and the fragility of life. Camelo notes that it “explores how children understand death and how we live on in each other.”

“The Reserve” (“La reserva”) Pablo Pérez Lombardini, Mexico

Won the Coup de Coeur” at Cinelatino, Toulouse. Main production by Pikila, founded in 2016 by Lombardini, in co-production with CTT Exp&Rentals, AM Tecnología, Alejandro de Icaza, Caffeine Post. Produced by Liliana Pardo S. and Lombardini. Cast includes Carolina Guzmán, Abel Aguilar and Verónica Ángel Pérez. The film follows Julia, a forest ranger in Monte Virgen, who discovers illegal logging and is gradually abandoned by her community as she fights to protect the reserve, loses everything but her dignity. As Lombardini notes: “Every year, environmental defenders are murdered for protecting their land.”

“9 month contract,” Ketevan Vashagashvili, Georgia

A Georgian mother turns to surrogacy to secure a home for her daughter. What starts as a quick fix becomes a profound sacrifice, revealing how inequality and conflicting laws shape intimate choices. Produced by 1991 Productions with Agitprop, Vincent Productions, MDR/Arte; producers Anna Khazaradze, Nino Chichua. Cast includes Zhana Vakhtangashvili and Elene Kukhtinovi. As the director notes, “How far will a mother go for her child?”