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.