A number of movies are licensed for home use only, therefore, to show these films in a public setting, an additional license is required. People often ask why? The reason is simple: Films cost money to produce and filmmakers need sources of income in order to make their money back.

Here is a general rule to consider, if you can back the message, then support the filmmaker. Income from public showings is helping that filmmaker continue in his work.

For 50 years, the Christian film industry had survived from churches and groups renting and showing films, mainly in the congregation. But, in the 1990's, the rental of films virtually came to a complete halt. Now, we are seeing a revived interest as more churches recognize the power of films and are showing movies to their congregation again.

The public showing of movies by churches is a helpful thing for two main reasons. First, Hollywood movies have saturated the land and influenced cultures greatly. Therefore, movies shown in congregations with a message for Jesus can be even more powerful. Secondly, there is a great lack of Christ-centered films and one of the reasons is lack of funding to produce new films. A Hollywood film has the box office in theaters to gain income. Most Christian movies don't play in theaters and therefore a public rental helps the producer gain back costs from production.

On our website, we have listed with each film the information needed for home and public use showings. A films are already licensed for non-profit public use and require no additional license or fee. Most of the movies require a fee either directly from the producer or an organization called CVLI.

If you have any further questions regarding this, please feel free to contact us.

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