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Alternativa Distribution Launches To Bring Global South Films To TV & Streaming; Slate Includes Cannes Titles ‘A Poet’ & ‘If Only I Could Hibernate’
Alternativa, a not-for-profit organisation focused on impact-driven cinema from the Global South, has launched a new distribution arm to sell films to broadcasters and streaming platforms. The move matters because it is designed to help films that often struggle to reach wider audiences beyond their home markets and the festival circuit, especially where localisation and commercial distribution barriers limit access. The new division will be led by former yesDocu and TikTok executive Avital Lavi and aims to expand the international reach of these films through TV and streaming deals rather than theatrical release.
The launch slate contains 10 films, including Cannes Un Certain Regard titles If Only I Could Hibernate by Zoljargal Purevdash and A Poet by Simón Mesa Soto, which won the Jury Prize, as well as Sunshine and Saba. Lavi said Alternativa Distribution will use a “fair play” model, offering rights holders an upfront minimum guarantee followed by revenue sharing, while also paying for dubbing and localisation to make titles suitable for local channels and platforms. Five of the 10 launch titles previously screened at the Alternativa festival, which began in Indonesia in 2024, recently held its third edition in Colombia, and is due to take place in Africa next year; the wider Alternativa initiative is backed by ride-hailing company inDrive.
In short
- Alternativa launches a distribution arm for Global South films
- New unit targets TV and streaming sales, not cinemas
- Launch slate includes 10 films, with several Cannes titles
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Alternativa Distribution addresses a genuine market failure that systematically prevents Global South filmmakers from reaching international audiences. The guaranteed upfront payments, transparent revenue sharing, and funded localisation remove concrete financial barriers that confine these films to festival circuits, without requiring filmmakers to surrender artistic control. This model meaningfully expands creative opportunities for talented creators whilst enriching global audiences with previously marginalised perspectives and authentic voices.
The case against
The initiative risks commodifying Global South cinema by implicitly framing these films as requiring modification for 'mainstream' consumption, which reinforces problematic cultural hierarchies. Additionally, inDrive's commercial backing raises questions about whether profit motives may ultimately guide decisions despite not-for-profit framing. Some filmmakers may reasonably prefer preserving artistic integrity through selective festival and theatrical distribution over accepting a model fundamentally designed for mass-market scalability.
Explained simply
Alternativa is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to cinema from the Global South – the developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Films made in these regions often fail to find audiences beyond their home countries and film festivals, even when they win major international awards.
The organisation has launched a distribution division to place these films with television channels and streaming services worldwide. The division aims to overcome traditional distribution barriers by offering filmmakers minimum payments upfront and revenue sharing, whilst also funding dubbing and localisation so films work for local audiences everywhere.
Alternativa runs an international film festival that has held editions in Indonesia and Colombia, with a planned expansion to Africa next year, supported by ride-hailing company inDrive. The new distribution division will work with films screened at this festival and beyond.
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