Is my Movie Covered by the CVL?
The Church Video Licence™ (CVL) from CCLI covers many major movie studios and distributors including Universal Pictures, Dreamworks, Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Paramount, and 20th Century.
However, CCLI appreciates that determining whether a particular movie is covered isn’t always easy. This article will look at the best way to confirm that the movie you wish to show is covered by the CVL.
Although there are a number of websites containing movie information that you can reference, CCLI recommends that you look first on IMDb.com (The Internet Movie Database. Note: CCLI is in no way affiliated with IMDb and does not endorse or control the accuracy of the content contained therein).
- From the IMDb homepage, enter the movie’s title in the search bar and press enter–resulting in a list of titles. The more exact you are, the more likely your movie will be at or near the top of the list. When you see the movie you’re looking for, click on the title to open that movie’s page on the IMDb site. Examine the details to make sure this is the exact movie you want.
- Next you need to scroll down the near the bottom of the page, past the Cast list, Storyline and User reviews until you come to Details. Underneath this heading click the line that says Production companies.
- You should now be looking at the Company Credits page, and a long list of movie companies. Scan the list of Distributors to find the company which holds the ‘(New Zealand) (Theatrical)’ rights. (See below if the New Zealand Theatrical rights isn’t listed here).
- Having made a note of the distributor with the New Zealand Theatrical rights, now open the New Zealand CVL Producers List on the CVLI website. This list shows all the studios/producers covered by the CVL in New Zealand displayed in alphabetical order. If the distributor with the New Zealand Theatrical rights appears in this list, the movie is covered by the CVL for New Zealand . If the distributor isn’t listed here, the movie is not covered.
The New Zealand Theatrical right isn’t shown on IMDb. What do I do?
If the New Zealand Theatrical right isn’t listed on IMDb but a single company appears to hold the Theatrical rights to most territories, as a general rule you can assume that that company will also hold this right for New Zealand. If there is no general consensus in the list on IMDb, we recommend you contact us.
The movie isn’t covered by the CVL but we still want to show it. What should we do?
If the movie isn’t covered by the CVL, contact the movie’s producer directly to establish whether they can issue a licence or can point you to the licensing body which can.
Thanks for taking the time to make sure your movie is covered. Enjoy showing it in your church.