Is my Film Covered by the CVL?

The Church Video Licence™ (CVL) from CCLI covers many major film studios and distributors including 20th Century, Disney, DreamWorks, Paramount, Pixar, United International Pictures and Universal.

However, CCLI appreciates that determining whether a particular film is covered isn’t always easy. This article will look at the best way to confirm that the film you wish to show is covered by the CVL.

Although there are a number of websites containing film 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 film’s title in the search bar and press enter–resulting in a list of titles.  The more exact you are, the more likely your film will be at or near the top of the list. When you see the film you’re looking for, click on the title to open that film’s page on the IMDb site. Examine the details to make sure this is the exact film you want.
• Next, click on All topics in the top right corner of the page to open the All topics menu:

The All topics option for a film listing on IMDb.

• Under the Details column in the menu, click Company credits:

The All topics menu showing the Company credits option.

• You should now be looking at the Company Credits page, and a long list of film companies. Scan the list of Distributors to find the company which holds the Theatrical Right for South Africa or for the majority of territories (as depicted below)…

The company credits page for a film on IMDb.

• Now open the ZA CVL Producers List on the CCLI website. This list shows all the studios/producers covered by the CVL in South Africa displayed in alphabetical order. If the distributor with the South Africa or majority Theatrical Right appears in this list, the film is covered by the CVL. If the distributor isn’t listed here, the film is not covered.

The film isn’t covered by the CVL but we still want to show it. What should we do?

If the film isn’t covered by the CVL, contact the film’s producer directly to establish whether they issue a licence or can point you to the licensing body who can.

Thanks for taking the time to make sure your film is covered. Enjoy showing it in your church.