9th December 2023, Kathmandu
The Nepali film “No Winter Holidays” won the Native Award Indrive’s “ALTERNATIVA FILM AWARDS” Global Non-Profit Initiative Spotlights Emerging Filmmakers from Underrepresented Markets, Focusing on Central Asia in 2023
Alternativa Film Project, a global non-profit film initiative dedicated to supporting emerging filmmakers from less developed screen industries, announced today the winners of its inaugural Alternativa Film Awards at a ceremony in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
The Alternativa Film Awards are an alternative system of recognition, designed to evaluate both the artistic merits of the films and their social impact and aim to strengthen cultural ties between various markets with a focus on Central Asia for the maiden edition. The initiative was launched in September 2023 by inDrive, a global technology company known for its peer-to-peer rideshare pricing model.
Rather than the traditional prizes, the Alternativa Film Awards bestow awards for talents and titles exemplifying cultural, societal, and industry impact. Perennial awards include the Spotlight Award, which honors a film that shines a light on a topic or story under the public’s radar, and the Future Voice Award, given to a debutant filmmaker with the potential to contribute to changes in the film industry and society in general.
Other distinctions include the Alter Award, which commemorates a film that addresses critical social issues (such as human rights, migration, war crimes, and the environment); the Nativa Award, which designates a film that touches upon topics of national or cultural identity; and the Shorts Award, which is given to a short film produced exclusively in Central Asia and aims to support local talents in their pursuit of filmmaking.
The winners were chosen by an independent, international jury of socially responsible film directors and producers, helmed by award-winning Filipino director Brillante Mendoza, as well as social activists, community leaders, and NGO representatives from around the globe. Mendoza is the first Filipino to receive the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival for his film Kinatay in 2009, and the only Filipino to receive France’s Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters). The total prize fund stands at $100,000, to be equally divided among the five festival winners, so as not to establish hierarchy.
The first-ever Spotlight Award was granted to Bride Kidnapping (2023), a Kyrgyzstan film directed by Mirlan Adbykalykov that charts the real-life abductions of girls for forced marriages. Praising the film, the jury writes, “This dramatic film balances two worlds, delivering a visually cinematic and thought-provoking examination of tradition and resilience. And through it all, the film’s compassionate, unromanticized lens never loses sight of the complexity of being human in an increasingly unraveling world.” The jury also gave a special mention to Uzbekistan feature Sunday (2023, dir. Shokir Kholikov), a family drama about generational evolution and tradition, for its “mature depiction of human relationships in a fast-changing society.”
The Future Voice Award went to director Askhat Kuchinchirekov of Kazakhstan for their feature Bauryna Salu (2023), a coming-of-age story that explores the meaning of family. The jury chose Kuchinchirekov “for the director’s delicate vision and brilliant acting performance in exploring how an outdated tradition turns into a modern drama.”
The Alter Award was granted to the Kazakhstan documentary Qoryqpa (2023, dir. Katerina Suvorova). The jury applauded the film, saying “Katya Suvorova’s new film reflects the events of the last few years in Kazakhstan when keen expectations of societal change faced many obstacles, but at the same time empowered a new generation of people, reflecting on the future of their country. The film shows the complex processes that occurred within civil society during this period, and it is ultimately not just about two activists and their journey but about the whole society and the importance of working together for positive change.”
The Nativa Award was then bestowed to the Nepal film No Winter Holidays (2023, dir. Radjan Kathet and Sunir Pandey), a documentary about romantic rivals forced to survive together in a snowbound village. The jury expressed admiration, saying it “takes you on a journey that is a joy to experience. With few words, long shots, and a change in season it offers a truthful tale that is stranger than fiction, culturally critical, and distinctly beautiful.”
Finally, the Shorts Award was presented to the Kyrgyzstan short film Son of the Sun (2022, dir. Dastan Madalbekov) “for its frank and heartfelt story focusing on children’s subtle pains and hidden fears which often go unnoticed by their families.” Beyond these five prizes, the Resonance Award was given to Kazakhstan feature The Qash (2022, dir. Aisultan Seitov), a manifesto film about the Kazakh famine of the 1930s, “for the bravery of the filmmakers to give voice to a terrifying page in Kazakhstan history.” This honor celebrates outstanding success with the audience, and while it is not part of the open call and does not carry a monetary award, the winner in this category will receive a Pop Up Film Residency in collaboration with Tatino Films and the QCinema Project Market to develop their upcoming film project in 2024. The jury also decided to award a special mention to Happiness (2022, dir. Askar Uzabaev), a harrowing story about domestic violence in a small Kazakhstan village, “for an uncompromising portrayal of a terrible burning issue present in every part of the world.”
Jury President Brillante Mendoza said, “For me, a film’s artistic merit and social impact is equally important. In approaching the judging process, we looked at the film’s potential impact to broaden or diversify its audience, how we connected to the characters, and of course the narrative expression that showed the director’s overall film language. We had such a strong crop of submissions which are all hugely worth watching – but especially urge audiences to seek out the powerful work of our five winners.”
Liza Surganova, Head of Alternativa Film Project, said: “We are extremely pleased and proud that despite being such a young initiative we have managed to attract a lot of attention both in Central Asia and internationally. By launching Alternativa in Central Asia we wanted to support brave and talented local filmmakers and help bring this part of the world into the spotlight, and I hope that with our awards and our labs, we’re heading firmly to this. Next year we are going to continue that work by showcasing the winning films and by sending the Central Asian filmmakers to creative residencies and acclaimed film festivals to gain more international experience and acknowledgment.”
Nativa Award INDRIVE’S
Beyond the Alternativa Film Awards, the initiative has launched free, educational programming designed to uplift and upskill the next generation of filmmakers. The “Teen Lab” bootcamp aims to cultivate young artistic talent, educating participants about the basics of cinema and the importance of teamwork, while the “Impact Lab” is the first program outside the Global North designed to teach working producers how to create more impactful, sustainable, inclusive films by partnering with NGOs and state institutions. Other tenets of the project include public film screenings, networking events, pitching workshops, and “edutainment” shorts for social media.
Alternativa Film Project marks the latest in a long line of company initiatives to challenge systematic injustice and provide social elevators to underserved communities. By shining a light on less visible film industries, Alternativa aims to amplify a new generation of artistic voices on a global scale.
About Alternativa Film Project
Alternativa Film Project is a new system of initiatives aimed to support and promote filmmakers, as well as discover new voices from developing but less visible film industries. Our mission is to help talents whose work can enrich our perception of the world enter the limelight. Committed to inDrive’s mission to challenge injustice, we seek to build an impactful international project that will transform the status quo in the world of cinema by boosting the development of local industries and communities.
About inDrive
inDrive is a global mobility and urban services platform headquartered in Mountain View, California, USA. The inDrive app has been downloaded over 175 million times and was the second most downloaded mobility app in 2022. In addition to ride-hailing, inDrive provides an expanding list of urban services, including intercity transportation, freight delivery, task assistance, courier delivery, and employment search.
inDrive operates in over 46 countries and 700 cities. It supports local communities via its peer-to-peer payment model and community empowerment programs, which help advance education, sports, arts and sciences, gender equality, and other vital initiatives.