Global expertise: experts from 10 countries | Case studies: films that matter | Free learning: knowledge for everyone | Flexible & self-paced: study anytime, anywhere
Cinema for Change: Impact Distribution Online Course by Alternativa
Alternativa Impact Distribution Lab brings together international best practices, proven strategies, and hands-on tools for designing powerful, change-making impact campaigns.
WE INVITE YOU TO
Systematize global know-how: Dive into the international landscape of impact strategy and learn how leading practitioners create campaigns that inspire social change.
Learn from real campaigns: Explore case studies that moved the needle: stories of impact that shifted narratives, shaped opinions, and influenced policies.
Bring it back to work tomorrow: Gain both a strategic overview and practical instruments you can instantly apply to your own projects.
Rethink what impact means: Discover impact not only as a social mission but as a powerful way to broaden your audience, deepen engagement, and elevate your work.
- Impact producers who have built strategies that sparked change
- Major festival leaders and programmers
- Distributors reimagining how films meet audiences
- Creators behind standout educational impact programs
- Define the problems you want to address and set clear impact goals
- Build a step-by-step action plan
- Map your issues and research existing practices and movements
- Identify allies and partners
- Reach target audiences through diverse distribution channels (festivals, media, etc.)
- Navigate discussions and relationships with story protagonists and communities
- Address financial, safety, legal, and ethical considerations
- Evaluate success: understand how to measure what truly worked
Creators - Filmmakers, directors, producers, documentalists, visual artists, photographers, storytellers, podcasters
Even if developing impact campaigns isn’t your direct responsibility, but you are creating a high-impact film or other content, this course will offer inspiration for:
- Compelling storytelling
- Stronger message design
- Effective pitching strategies that resonate with audiences and potential partners
Journalists & Media - Journalists, editors, bloggers, independent media creators, media activists
If you want to increase the reach and social impact of your publications, this course suggests ways to:
- Use creative, unconventional narrative approaches
- Open new ways of co-creation
- Collaborate with like-minded communities pursuing social impact
Social Activists & NGOs - Activists, campaign coordinators, NGO representatives, communications specialists
If you are raising awareness and solving problems within your community or region, this course offers fresh insights on:
- Building participation and community-engagement strategies
- Finding strong partners
- Accessing new resources, toolkits, and learning materials on impact
Business & Creative Industry Professionals - Brands, CSR/ESG teams, social entrepreneurs, consulting agencies
The course helps responsible businesses to explore new strategies to:
- Integrate impact into brand
- Support social projects
- Collaborate with institutions, activists, and NGOs effectively
Students & Researchers - Students, graduates, academic researchers in media, sociology, political science, communication, social change, business
Join if you are curious to:
- Explore new methods of social influence and positive change creation
- Learn from real success stories and expert insights
- Better understand industry practices and build meaningful connections
- There are two ways to go through the course, depending on your goals.
- Just exploring? Browse the modules freely and watch any videos that interest you.
- Working on an impact campaign? Follow the Course Journal — it recommends the right videos for each step.
How You’ll Learn
- Watch video lectures organized into thematic modules
- Explore additional materials and recommended resources within each module
- Work in the Course Journal if you're developing your own impact campaign at the moment: everything you need to bring your ideas to life will be at your fingertips
MODULES OVERVIEW
What Is Impact? Concepts, Strategy, Campaigns
Co-founder of Impacta Cine and Partnerships & Programs Director at GIPA, Michelle Plascencia, introduces the concept of impact and explains the fundamentals of setting impact goals and priorities.
4 videos | theory & practice | strategy | practical advice
From Story to Impact: Turning Films into Tools for Social Change
Founder and Director of Nodo Sur and Viceversa Cine, Marcela Lizcano, explores what audience-centered impact work is and how stories can be used to drive real social change.
2 videos | theory & practice | audiences | inspiration
Peace Is Loud Presents: Participant Care Challenges and Strategies
Director of Film Impact and Innovation at Peace Is Loud, Stephanie Palumbo, explains which aspects of participant care require strategic planning and how to approach them effectively.
6 videos | participant care | case studies | guides & handbooks
From Ideas to Action: Guides, Tools & Support for Impact Filmmakers
Vanessa Cuervo Forero (Doc Society) and Florencia Varela (Peace Is Loud) present high-value, open-access tools and resources for developing and managing impact campaigns.
6 videos | institutional support | workflow organization | guides & handbooks
Successful Impact Campaigns: How to Change the World with Film
Artistic Director of the Movies that Matter Festival, Margje de Koning, explains how to make a film powerful enough to genuinely influence people’s attitudes and behavior.
5 videos | impact work overview | guides & handbooks | case studies
Festivals and Markets: Strategic Pathways for Impact
Ana Castañosa, Head of Impact Days at the Geneva International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights (FIFDH), and her colleague Stéphane Decrey, Head of Thematic Partnerships and Advocacy at FIFDH, introduce key events and partners for advancing an impact film.
5 videos | events | practical advice | case studies
From Screens to Fields: Innovative Film Distribution
Co-founding Executive Director of Cinema Tropical, Carlos Gutierrez, shares his perspective on the contemporary film industry and encourages filmmakers to seek their audiences in new and unexpected places.
2 videos | critical approach | distribution | audiences | inspiration
From Film to Community: How to Organize Impactful Screenings
Documentary filmmaker and impact producer Miki Redelinghuys discusses practical approaches to increasing a film’s visibility and fostering active, meaningful discussion around it.
3 videos | personal experience | engagement | guides & handbooks
This course is a unique chance to take action right now. It helps break down overwhelming, enormous problems or issues into small, absolutely feasible, simple steps. It is probably one of the most valuable skills you can develop in your lifetime — the ability to see how something huge and seemingly unbeatable can become doable and real. If you needed a sign to start changing the world and the society around you today, this is it.
Partners
Supervision, Course Journal development
Gita Saedi Kiely
Filmmaker and former FilmAid Director, Alternativa Impact Distribution Lab TutorKara Magsanoc-Alikpala
Founding President of the Filipino Documentary Society, Managing Partner at Storytellers International, Alternativa Impact Distribution Lab Tutor
Masha Shcherbakova
Impact Producer, Impact Distribution Manager at Alternativa, Changemakers Curator at the Alternativa Impact Distribution LabProgram development, expert engagement
Anna Gudkova
Head of Industry and Labs at AlternativaOnline course concept development, cross-functional team coordination
Antonina Balashova
Online Course Producer at AlternativaVisual concept development, video editing
Maria Dyagileva
Creative Producer, Labs Coordinator at AlternativaVideo post-production
Sergei Kobetc
Technical SpecialistVisual design
Lola Kabina
Senior Graphic Designer at AlternativaJelena Crnokrak
Senior Graphic Designer at AlternativaTexts and copyediting
Ksenia Samarina
Copy editor at AlternativaPromotional video production
Nastya Shikina
Video Producer at AlternativaCourse page build
Jovana Sreckovic
Marketing Project Manager at AlternativaProduction management
Irina Reger
Labs Program Producer at AlternativaMarketing and promotion
Andjelka Jankovic
Head of Marketing Communications at AlternativaJulia Boykova
Partnerships and Communications Manager at AlternativaViktoria Katkova
Social Media Manager at Alternativa
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This is a non-accredited informational course. No certificates, qualifications, or professional credentials are issued. By starting to use the course, you confirm that you are a fully capable person of legal age.
All course materials are protected by copyright and are intended solely for personal use. Any copying, distribution, or commercial use of these materials, as well as the use of brands, logos, or other proprietary elements of the Online Course without prior written permission from the Company, is strictly prohibited.
