EXCLUSIVE: Alternativa has launched a distribution arm that will sell impact-driven films to broadcasters and streamers. Alternativa Distribution will be run by former yesDocu and TikTok exec Avital Lavi.
It goes out of the gate with a ten-movie slate including Zoljargal Purevdash’s If Only I Could Hibernate, which played in the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes. A Poet, from Simón Mesa Soto, also played in Un Certain Regard, and was awarded the Jury Prize. We previously had the news that a U.S. remake is in the works. Other titles on the slate include Sunshine from Filipino director Antoinette Jadaone and Maksud Hossain’s Saba.
Alternativa is a not-for-profit org that supports impact films from the Global South. Having started out as an awards program for films from Central Asia, Alternativa then initiated a full-fledged festival. The first edition was in 2024 in Indonesia. The third edition recently wrapped in Colombia. Next year’s event will be in Africa.
The newly minted Alternativa Distribution division will work on what Lavi describes as a “fair play model.” Speaking to Deadline, the Berlin-based exec explained more: “We negotiate with the rights holders for acquisitions and offer them a fair minimum guarantee. We pay that immediately, and then once we start distributing, we do revenue shares.”
She added that Alternativa will foot the bill for dubbing to help make the films ready for local channels and platforms. “So many of the films from the Global South cannot reach audiences because nobody wants to do the heavy lifting of localization. It’s resources, time, it’s money… so we will cover that.”
The goal is to sell movies outside of a theatrical release and shop first-window rights to broadcasters and streamers. Because of the model and wider aim of promoting films from the Global South, the good news for buyers is the license fees will be modest.
“We believe it’s a self-sustaining model, both in the aspect of sustaining the local film industries and also sustaining the distribution operation, and because this is a not-for-profit operation, we don’t expect to have [high] license fees,” Lavi said.
Five of the ten films on the launch slate screened at the Alternativa festival. Lavi said that it has scouts in local markets and will be looking for titles to add to its lineup. “Our selection is based not only on artistic excellence and impact, but also on the films’ accessibility potential. We will take films that resonate on the emotional side and make people feel empathy, hope and sorrow and all these things that could ultimately manage to create some sort of cognitive change.”
Alternativa is backed by the ride-hailing and transportation business inDrive. The goal for Alternativa Distribution is to bring films from the Global South to an audience beyond the local markets and festival circuit, Lavi said. “The distribution arm is scaling them up to more audiences. We wanted to take them way beyond the festival circuit.”
Lavi will be at MIPCOM and the major film and TV markets. Here are the first ten movies on the Alternativa Distribution slate.
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
