Alternativa Distribution Launches To Bring Global South Films To TV & Streaming; Slate Includes Cannes Titles ‘A Poet’ & ‘If Only I Could Hibernate’ — SkimNews
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- Alternativa Distribution launched as a new sales arm to bring impact-driven films from the Global South to broadcasters and streamers, headed by former yesDocu and TikTok exec Avital Lavi in Berlin.
- The launch ten-film slate includes two Cannes titles — Zoljargal Purevdash's If Only I Could Hibernate (Mongolia) and Simón Mesa Soto's A Poet (Colombia), the latter winning the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize — plus entries from the Philippines, India, Iran, China, Brazil, and elsewhere.
- The division operates on a "fair play model," paying rights holders a minimum guarantee upfront and then sharing revenue once distribution begins.
- Alternativa will cover dubbing and subtitling costs to ready films for local platforms, addressing what Lavi called the "heavy lifting of localization" that has blocked Global South films from reaching audiences.
- License fees will be "modest" given the not-for-profit structure, with the company targeting first-window TV/streaming sales outside theatrical and attending MIPCOM and other major markets.
- Parent org Alternativa is backed by ride-hailing company inDrive; it evolved from a Central Asian awards program into a full festival with editions in Indonesia and Colombia, with the next event planned for Africa.
Why it matters: Global South filmmakers gain a revenue-share distribution path that covers localization costs upfront, while broadcasters and streamers get curated, modestly priced packages with reduced acquisition friction — potentially shifting first-window economics for underrepresented cinema beyond the festival circuit.
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