"The Adamant Girl"
The Alternativa Film Project, a global and nomadic non-profit film initiative founded by inDrive and dedicated to supporting emerging filmmakers from less developed screen industries, has revealed the winners of its 2024 edition of the Alternativa Film Awards. Additionally, the Alternativa Film Project has unveiled Latin America will be its new focus region starting from 2025, with the third Alternativa Film Ceremony and Awards then being held in 2026.
The Alternativa Film Awards recognise films with artistic excellence that also address important social and cultural topics, and which have an ambition to positively affect the lives of people and local communities and to challenge injustice in line with the mission of inDrive. The Alternativa Film Festival featured public screenings and discussions for the shortlisted films. In parallel, a three-day Industry Days programme ran aimed at fostering connections between filmmakers, producers, and social impact leaders from South East Asia, Central Asia and the global stage.
From the 25 films selected, including 13 feature-length films and 12 shorts, from 14 Asian countries and across 20 different languages, winners were chosen by an independent, international jury of socially responsible filmmakers and experts in social impact. The total prize fund was $100,000, with $20,000 each awarded in the four full-length categories, and $10,000 each for the two winners in the Shorts Award category.
THE WINNERS
• “Spotlight Award”: Dramedy "Bird of a Different Feather" directed by Manohara K
• “Future Voice Award”: Drama "Cu Li Never Cries" directed by Pham Ngoc Lan
• “Alter Award”: Documentary "Grand Me" by Atiye Zare Arandi
• “Nativa Award”: Drama "The Adamant Girl" directed by Vinothraj PS
• “Shorts Award”: Drama "Washhh" by Mickey Lai and documentary "A Cleaning Service" by Nguyen Duy Anh
Beyond these six prizes, the "Resonance Award" was given to Thai feature "How to Make Millions Before Grandma Dies" (2024, dir. Pat Boonnitipat), a heartwarming film delving into the complexity of family relationships, sacrifices and the pursuit of happiness.
Arsen Tomsky the CEO and Founder of inDrive, which founded the Alternativa Film Project, said: “It’s a great honour to have Awards and festival this year in Yogykarta - and we are thrilled to have welcomed over 3,000 audience members to watch these powerful films, and broaden the impact they have in this real celebration of art. We have a team of almost 200 people, largely local, who have gone above and beyond to make this wonderful initiative possible. We’d also like to thank Mas Garin, our distinguished host for this evening - and also a partner of ours through GIK.”
Liza Surganova, Head of Alternativa Film Project, said: "We are proud to celebrate each of the winners of the 2024 Alternativa Film Awards, whose remarkable works embody the transformative power of cinema. These films not only push the boundaries of artistic expression but also shine a light on pressing social issues, sparking conversations that can inspire meaningful change. We believe in the potential of storytelling to unite communities and address systemic challenges, and the Alternativa Film Project is our way of championing the incredible talent that drives these narratives forward. We aimed to give greater international visibility to filmmakers whose work has potential to bring social change, and I am thrilled to see that vision taking shape. Through this initiative, we hope to empower filmmakers to continue creating art that resonates, uplifts, and impacts society for the better - and looking ahead to the future, we are excited to spread this focus to Latin America for our third edition."
