Breaking into the Global Market: Alternativa Distribution Launches

Alternativa, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting impact films from the Global South, has launched a new distribution arm to bring these films to a wider audience. Alternativa Distribution, led by former yesDocu and TikTok executive Avital Lavi, aims to sell impact-driven films to broadcasters and streamers.

The launch slate includes ten movies, including ‘A Poet,’ a Colombian film that won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, and ‘If Only I Could Hibernate,’ a Mongolian film that screened in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. Other titles on the slate include ‘Sunshine’ from Filipino director Antoinette Jadaone and ‘Saba’ from Bangladeshi director Maksud Hossain.

Alternativa Distribution will operate on a ‘fair play model,’ where they negotiate with rights holders for acquisitions and offer them a fair minimum guarantee. They will then pay that amount immediately and share revenue with the rights holders once distribution begins. This model aims to make the films more accessible to local channels and platforms by covering the cost of dubbing.

Lavi emphasized the importance of localization in making these films reach a wider audience. ‘So many of the films from the Global South cannot reach audiences because nobody wants to do the heavy lifting of localization,’ she said. ‘It’s resources, time, it’s money… so we will cover that.’

The goal of Alternativa Distribution is to sell movies outside of a theatrical release and shop first-window rights to broadcasters and streamers. This approach will help make the films more accessible to a global audience and promote the local film industries in the Global South.

Alternativa is backed by the ride-hailing and transportation business inDrive. The organization’s goal is to bring films from the Global South to an audience beyond the local markets and festival circuit. ‘The distribution arm is scaling them up to more audiences,’ Lavi said. ‘We wanted to take them way beyond the festival circuit.’

Lavi will be attending major film and TV markets, including MIPCOM, to showcase the launch slate and promote Alternativa Distribution. The first ten movies on the launch slate are:

• 9-Month Contract (Georgia & Bulgaria): Directed by Ketevan Vashagashvili
• After the Rain (China): Directed by Jian Fan
• A Poet (Colombia): Directed by Simón Mesa Soto
• Being Olimpia (Mexico): Directed by Indira Cato
• Bird of a Different Feather (India): Directed by Manohara K.
• Grand Me (Iran & Belgium): Directed by Atiye Zare Arandi
• If Only I Could Hibernate (Mongolia): Directed by Zoljargal Purevdash
• Saba (Bangladesh): Directed by Maksud Hossain
• Sunshine (Philippines): Directed by Antoinette Jadaone
• The Nature of Invisible Things (Brazil & Chile): Directed by Rafaela Camelo

Alternativa Distribution’s launch marks an exciting new chapter in the promotion and distribution of impact films from the Global South.