TL;DR:
- Alternativa Film Festival, a non-profit initiative by global tech company inDrive, has announced its 2026 Selection Committee.
- The festival will be hosted in Colombia in 2026, with a focus on Latin American cinema.
- Yow Chong Lee, a Film Lecturer from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), is a key member of the Selection Committee.
- This marks a significant role for Malaysia, which was one of the top three countries for film submissions in the 2024 festival.
- Submissions for the festival are free and are open until October 10, 2025.
- The festival aims to amplify voices and stories from emerging film industries in the Global South, including Asia and Latin America.
Malaysian Expertise to Help Shape Global Film Festival
The Alternativa Film Festival, a non-profit initiative created by inDrive, has announced its 2026 Selection Committee, with a key role for Malaysian talent. Film Lecturer Yow Chong Lee from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) has been selected to help curate the festival’s Competition Program, which will focus on impactful films from Latin America and Asia.
The announcement was made at the Bogotá Audiovisual Market (BAM) in Colombia, the host country for the 2026 festival. Mr. Yow joins a diverse group of film curators, programmers, and impact experts from around the globe.
“It is always exciting to discover where the next focus of Alternativa will be,” commented Yow Chong Lee. “I hope to humbly learn about the film arts and sociopolitics of Latin America, and perhaps the universal struggles that may inspire dialogue and collective action.”
A Platform for Undiscovered Voices
The Alternativa Film Festival is dedicated to providing an international platform for filmmakers from emerging industries of the Global South. The festival has a strong connection to Asia, with Malaysia ranking among the top three countries for submissions in 2024. That year, the festival received over 1,000 submissions from 33 countries, highlighting its growing global reach.
The festival’s mission is to honor films that bring positive change to the world and society. It offers both monetary and symbolic prizes to filmmakers, helping to increase their global visibility. The new committee will be instrumental in selecting films that reflect diverse perspectives and powerful narratives, strengthening the festival’s reputation as a nomadic and socially conscious event.
The open call for submissions for the Alternativa Film Festival 2026 is currently underway and will close on October 10, 2025. Submissions are free and are open to feature-length films from Asia and Latin America, with short films accepted exclusively from Latin America.