SignifyTV and the Alma Film Festival Launch Global South Film Partnership, Expanding the Alma Experience
“We as a people have always been on the cutting edge of culture, and in cinema it’s no different. SignifyTV is proud to be one of the platforms helping those stories reach the audiences they’ve always deserved.”
— Alahna Lark, Executive Director, SignifyTV
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A new global partnership centered on the advancement of Global South storytelling is launching through a multi-month collaboration between SignifyTV and the Alma Film Festival.
Rather than a traditional screening series, this initiative represents a curated, cross-platform collaboration designed to spotlight filmmakers and cinematic voices from across the Global South while building deeper pathways for cultural exchange, audience engagement, and creative ecosystem development.
The partnership is part of the Alma Experience, the global engagement arm of the Alma Film Festival, through which elements of the festival are activated in collaboration with partners across a range of international settings, institutions, and platforms. Through screenings, conversations, cultural gatherings, educational activations, and collaborative programming, the Alma Experience extends the spirit and mission of the festival beyond the Dominican Republic and into communities around the world.
The collaboration will initially feature selected works from filmmakers participating in the Dandelion Institute Film & Television Fellowship, an international initiative dedicated to supporting emerging and established storytellers from historically underrepresented regions and strengthening creative ecosystems throughout the Global South.
Each month, audiences will be introduced to a different country, collective, or cinematic movement through thoughtfully curated programming that highlights the creative energy, cultural depth, and evolving film industries emerging across the world—while also creating opportunities for dialogue, connection, and long-term collaboration across borders.
Programming Lineup
May — Fiji
The series begins with a curated showcase from Fiji in collaboration with the Fiji Film Collective, led by Dandelion Fellow Tumeli Tuqota. The program will feature a selection of films reflecting the perspectives, storytelling traditions, and emerging cinematic language developing within the region.
During the 2026 Alma Film Festival, Tumeli’s film Daunitukutuku received the Best Short Film Award.
June — Jamaica
In June, the showcase moves to Jamaica with works from Dandelion Fellows Kurt Wright and Noelle Wright, including selections connected to their acclaimed film Origins. The film explores mythology, identity, and speculative storytelling rooted in Jamaican culture and folklore.
The film received significant recognition during the 2026 Alma Film Festival, earning awards for Best Writing, Best Ensemble Performance, Best Editing, Best Visual Effects, and the Audience Choice Award.
July — Lesotho
July’s showcase highlights the growing creative economy of Lesotho through programming curated in collaboration with Dandelion Fellow Khotso Maphathe. The showcase will spotlight stories, filmmakers, and emerging creative voices contributing to the country’s evolving cinematic landscape.
During the 2026 Alma Film Festival, Khotso received the Vision and Voice Award for Threads, Beats & Legends: Sesotho Alive.
Future Global South Showcases
Future editions of the series are expected to feature filmmakers and curated programming from:
- Cameroon
- Kenya
- Dominican Republic
- South Africa
- Solomon Islands
- Colombia
- Uganda
- And additional creative communities throughout the Global South
Anthony R. Page, Founder and Festival Director of the Alma Film Festival, shared:
“One of the central goals of the Alma Film Festival is to help create deeper pathways for cultural exchange through storytelling. While dominant film markets continue to shape much of the global cinematic conversation, there are extraordinary stories, creative movements, and emerging film ecosystems developing throughout the Global South that deserve greater visibility and engagement.
Through the Alma Experience and this collaboration with SignifyTV, we are creating additional platforms for these filmmakers and communities to be seen, heard, and meaningfully connected to broader audiences around the world. This is ultimately about building stronger bridges between cultures, perspectives, and people through cinema.”
About SignifyTV
SignifyTV is a nonprofit streaming platform dedicated to the stories that have always mattered, the ones too often overlooked, undersold, or left on the cutting room floor of mainstream media.
We exist to amplify culturally significant voices across the African diaspora and beyond. We believe that independent filmmakers, especially those telling Black, Brown, and Indigenous stories with authenticity and artistry, deserve a platform that treats their work with the reverence it deserves.
Our mission is simple: to signify. To mark, to mean something, to say this story is worth your time and attention. We partner with creators building a new visual canon to bring you closer to your global audience and build community in the independent world of film and content creation.
SignifyTV isn't just a streaming service. It's a movement in motion.
About the Alma Film Festival
The Alma Film Festival is a tech-forward, experience-based, research-centered international film festival and cultural platform based in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic. Focused heavily on the Global South, the festival brings together filmmakers, scholars, artists, technologists, industry leaders, and audiences through screenings, conversations, think tanks, immersive experiences, and cross-cultural collaboration.
Beyond the festival itself, the Alma Film Festival operates as an ongoing cultural ecosystem with engagements throughout the year designed to connect storytelling, innovation, scholarship, and global exchange.
These engagements include the Ent-Tech (Innovation & Discovery Expo), taking place in Atlanta on September 24–25, which explores the evolving intersection of entertainment, technology, creativity, and cultural innovation through showcases, conversations, demonstrations, and collaborative activations.
The second edition of the festival will take place March 12–21, 2027, in Las Terrenas, Dominican Republic.
The festival is supported by a growing international community of more than 140 stakeholders across 53 cities in 36 countries, collectively working toward deeper cultural engagement, creative collaboration, and global exchange through storytelling and innovation.
About the Alma Experience
The Alma Experience serves as the global engagement arm of the Alma Film Festival, extending curated elements of the festival through strategic partnerships, screenings, educational initiatives, cultural dialogue, and collaborative programming across international communities and platforms.
Conceived as more than a singular annual event, the Alma Film Festival operates as an ongoing platform for cultural exchange, creative discovery, and cross-sector engagement. The Alma Experience advances this mission year-round by convening filmmakers, artists, scholars, technologists, and audiences in meaningful dialogue while expanding visibility for emerging stories, cinematic movements, and creative ecosystems throughout the Global South.
Through fellowships, public programming, institutional collaborations, and curated activations, the initiative strengthens pathways for international engagement and reinforces Alma’s broader commitment to scholarship, collaboration, cultural diplomacy, and collective growth through storytelling.
The Alma Film Festival — Six Pillars of Purpose
Conversation | Connection | Community | Collaboration | Cultural Diplomacy | Collective Growth
“In everything we do, we aim to spark conversations that cultivate meaningful connections and strengthen our sense of community. From this shared foundation, we hope to inspire greater collaboration, leading to cultural diplomacy and collective growth.”
~ Anthony R. Page, Founder & Festival Director
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