Alternativa launches global south film distribution

Alternativa has launched Alternativa Distribution, a non-profit label focused on international distribution for films from the Global South.

The initiative expands Alternativa's work beyond film awards, festivals and industry labs into rights acquisition and licensing for non-theatrical distribution.

Alternativa Distribution will represent exclusive first-window regional and international non-theatrical rights for feature films across fiction, documentary and animation. It plans to license titles to television groups, streaming services, public and commercial broadcasters, in-flight entertainment providers and educational institutions.

The new label is designed to address a persistent problem in independent cinema: films from the Global South often gain recognition at major festivals but fail to secure broad international distribution after their premieres.

As a result, many filmmakers face weak bargaining positions, the cost of subtitling and dubbing, and limited access to buyers. Alternativa's model aims to address those obstacles through upfront minimum guarantees, revenue sharing, localisation support and territory-specific marketing.

Licensing income will be reinvested in acquiring more films, funding localisation work and supporting filmmakers, creating a cycle in which revenue from one title helps finance the next. The group will also offer lower licensing fees to buyers in an effort to widen access to films with social and cultural themes.

Launch slate

The label launches with a catalogue of films from Colombia, Brazil, India, Bangladesh, Mongolia, China, Iran, Mexico and Georgia. The initial line-up includes 9-Month Contract, After the Rain, A Poet, Being Olimpia, Bird of a Different Feather, Grand Me, If Only I Could Hibernate, Saba, Sunshine and The Nature of Invisible Things.

Several of the films have already screened at international festivals including Cannes, Berlinale, CPH:DOX and the Toronto International Film Festival. Some titles in the opening slate were also recognised through Alternativa's own film festival network.

Fair pricing

The new distribution arm draws on the pricing philosophy associated with inDrive, the mobility and delivery platform that supports Alternativa. The approach, described as Fair Choice, is being applied here to film rights and licensing rather than transport services.

Alternativa also wants to track the social effects of the films it distributes. The organisation is developing a measurement framework using audience surveys, media monitoring, social listening and qualitative interviews, while one flagship film each year will be subject to an independent pre-registered impact study with an academic partner.

The wider Alternativa network has grown from a film award into a broader support structure for filmmakers across Latin America and Asia. Titles will be sourced through scouts, industry partnerships, direct submissions and its film festival.

Geography is a key part of the strategy. The label will target buyers across Latin America, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East and North Africa, and Asia, while also seeking deals in Europe, North America and Oceania.

Avital Lavi outlined the commercial and editorial rationale behind the launch.

"Too many exceptional films from the Global South struggle to find international audiences, despite their artistic quality and social relevance," said Avital Lavi, Head of Distribution, Alternativa Distribution.

"By offering premium titles at accessible pricing, a fair business model and localisation support, we hope to dismantle the structural barriers facing films from or about the Global South and connect a wider range of broadcasters and audiences with high-quality works that inspire critical thinking, dialogue and, hopefully, social change," said Lavi.

inDrive, which backs the non-profit, said its app has been downloaded more than 400 million times and that it operates in more than 1,200 cities across 48 countries.