Alternativa, the non-profit film initiative supported by global mobility services platform inDrive as one of its impact programs, is launching a new non-theatrical distribution label, Alternativa Distribution, designed to create a fairer distribution model for filmmakers from the Global South while expanding the international reach of socially meaningful films.
Focusing on linear and non-linear broadcast rights, the new banner builds on the success of Alternativa’s nomadic Film Festival and Labs. The non-profit distribution arm will be led by former yesDocu and TikTok executive Avital Lavi, who has been appointed Head of Distribution and is based in Berlin, Germany.
Alternativa Distribution has also acquired the first films for its slate. These include 9-Month Contract (Georgia and Bulgaria, 2025; director Ketevan Vashagashvili), After the Rain (China, 2021; director Jian Fan), A Poet (Colombia, 2025; director Simón Mesa Soto), Being Olimpia (Mexico, 2025; director Indira Cato), Bird of a Different Feather (India, 2024; director Manohara K.), Grand Me (Iran and Belgium, 2024; director Atiye Zare Arandi), If Only I Could Hibernate (Mongolia, 2023; director Zoljargal Purevdash), Saba (Bangladesh, 2024; director Maksud Hossain), Sunshine (Philippines, 2025; director Antoinette Jadaone) and The Nature of Invisible Things (Brazil and Chile, 2025; director Rafaela Camelo).
Alternativa Distribution will represent exclusive, first-window regional or international non-theatrical distribution rights for full-length features, including scripted films, documentaries and animation, with strong social and cultural themes. Acquisitions will be sourced through a global network of film scouts, industry partnerships, direct submissions and the nomadic Alternativa Film Festival, which held its third edition in Medellín, Colombia, in April 2026. The 2027 edition is planned to take place in Africa.
Across its slate, Alternativa Distribution will focus on securing sales with regional and local streaming platforms, public and pay television broadcasters, in-flight entertainment services and institutional educational platforms in the Global South, including Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia, alongside the major markets of Europe, North America and Oceania.
Alternativa Distribution is built around a fairer business model that aims to address some of the structural barriers facing filmmakers from the Global South. The banner will provide immediate liquidity to rights holders through a fair upfront minimum guarantee, alongside a revenue share once deals are signed.
Income will be reinvested to sustain the label’s operations, expand its reach, support filmmakers and increase the circulation of impact-driven cinema. The non-profit model also enables Alternativa Distribution to offer premium, festival-acclaimed titles at affordable licence fees.
Alternativa Distribution will also use its income to provide localisation infrastructure, including translation, subtitling and dubbing into regional languages, as well as direct local marketing support for each film within the licensed territory.
Alternativa Distribution will build a tiered impact measurement system, tracking films through audience surveys, media monitoring, social listening and interviews. One flagship title each year will undergo a pre-registered study with an academic partner.
Avital Lavi is a film licensing and programming executive. She previously worked at ABC Disney, yesDocu and TikTok, and has experience as an acquisition and distribution manager, commissioning editor and adviser across documentary films, scripted series, formats and short-form series.
Arsen Tomsky, CEO and Founder of inDrive, said: “In line with inDrive’s mission to empower fair choices and challenge injustice, Alternativa was founded on the belief that storytelling can be a catalyst for meaningful social change, with a mission to champion underrepresented filmmakers whose work has the potential to make a positive impact.
“Through our nomadic festival, filmmaker training programmes and strategic partnerships, we connect cultures, empower local communities and help facilitate social transformation. Now, with the launch of Alternativa Distribution, we are taking this a step further. By supporting a distribution model centred on impactful narratives and a fair approach, we aim to bring vital films to wider audiences while helping to shift cultural norms, attitudes and beliefs at scale.”
“Too many exceptional films from the Global South struggle to find international audiences, despite their artistic quality and social relevance,” added Avital Lavi, Head of Distribution at Alternativa Distribution.
“By offering premium titles at accessible prices, a fair business model and localisation support, we hope to dismantle the structural barriers facing films from or about the Global South. We also aim to connect a wider range of broadcasters and audiences with high-quality works that inspire critical thinking, dialogue and, hopefully, social change.”
The first films on Alternativa Distribution’s slate have already earned significant critical and festival recognition, including:
9-Month Contract – Winner: HUMAN:RIGHTS Award, CPH:DOX 2025
A Poet – Winner: Jury Prize, Un Certain Regard, Cannes 2025
Grand Me – Winner: NEXT:WAVE Award, CPH:DOX 2024
If Only I Could Hibernate – Nominee: Un Certain Regard and Golden Camera, Cannes 2023
Saba – Nominee: NETPAC Award and FIPRESCI Prize, TIFF 2024
Sunshine – Winner: Crystal Bear, Generation 14plus, Berlinale 2025
The Nature of Invisible Things – Nominee: Best Feature Film, Berlinale 2025
Visit https://alternativa.film and https://indrive.com
