About

The festival introduces audiences to new voices and supports both emerging and established independent filmmakers. Programmes across different editions have included narrative films, documentaries, shorts, features, animation and music videos.

Screenings are complemented by conversations and educational events. In 2018, DEPO Evolution Park hosted Katerina Suvorova’s workshop on pitching and international film funds.

Across its history, FilmFreeway has recorded 4,176 submissions with 119 countries and territories of origin. The most represented include the United States, Russia, Kazakhstan, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, India and Canada.

The published 2017–2021 digital archive contains 125 selected works from 41 countries and territories, spanning Kazakhstan, Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. It keeps filmmakers and their work discoverable beyond each festival edition.

The next edition will use a hybrid format: online programming, selected in-person screenings and festival events in Almaty. The programme may include filmmaker Q&As, discussions, workshops, masterclasses and an announcement of the winners.

Online exhibition requires separate rights-holder authorization. Declining it does not affect Official Selection status or award eligibility. An in-person screening is not guaranteed for every selected work; full conditions are available on the For filmmakers page.

The next Almaty Indie Film Festival is scheduled for 14–16 January 2027. Submissions for the new edition are open in 2026. The published FilmFreeway schedule lists the late deadline as 30 November 2026 and the notification date as 1 December 2026.

Current categories, deadlines and submission rules are available on the festival’s official FilmFreeway profile.

Festival Director — Abdel Yelyubayev.

Technical Festival Director — Eldar Kydyrmolayev.

Almaty Indie Film Festival is an independent, non-profit initiative, open to filmmakers from different countries, generations and creative backgrounds.