(AS) ECA’s Cultural Programs Division in the Office of Citizen Exchanges has researched and compiled a list of film titles (xlsx 754 kb) covered by the MPLC agreement. These titles have been organized into various categories (American Directors, Black History Month, etc.), genres (Film-Noir, Westerns, etc.) and themes (Entrepreneurship, Human rights, etc.). This list is for internal use only and is not for public distribution. (End AS)

The various categories, genres, and themes in this document are by no means comprehensive and will be further updated through continued research into existing titles and with new titles as they are released.

Be advised that the titles on this list have not all been previewed by the Cultural Programs Division. The inclusion of each title represents a suggested and/or potentially relevant film, not an endorsement. All posts are advised to preview film titles privately before screening them publicly to ensure that all thematic material and content is culturally and programmatically appropriate for their intended audiences.

Posts can host public screenings for audiences at U.S. Embassies, Consulates, Information Resource Centers, American Centers, American Corners, and Bi-national Centers.

Yes.  Screenings can also be held away from U.S. Government (USG) premises, such as on a university campus, at an NGO facility and in a local theater, to highlight a few examples.  Please note that screenings that take place away from USG premises must not compete with local theatrical distributors.  With all screenings under the MPLC agreement, it must be clear that the screening is being presented, sponsored, organized, etc., by the U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

All screenings under the MPLC agreement must have a U.S. Embassy or Consulate Officer present to oversee the the event.  An Embassy or Consulate Officer should be the first priority to oversee any MPLC screening.  If all other Embassy or Consulate Officers are not able to attend a screening, then a local staff member can oversee the screening in their place.  If a screening is scheduled to take place at a designated American Space located a substantial distance away from the Embassy or Consulate, then the American Space Coordinator can oversee the screening.  In this scenario, a substantial distance is considered four or more hours of travel round trip.  The Coordinator must provide a readout of the screening to an Embassy or Consulate Officer.  In this scenario, the American Space Coordinator is only permitted to oversee a screening hosted in the designated American Space.  Post cannot authorize the American Space Coordinator to oversee a screening at another non-USG location.  If the designated American Space is not a substantial distance away from Post, then an available Embassy/Consulate Officer must oversee the event.  If an Officer is not available, then a local staff member can oversee the screening in their place.

No.  Posts cannot authorize a partner organization to screen films under the MPLC agreement without a representative from the U.S. Embassy or Consulate present.  This question has come up in regard to more remote communities located a substantial distance away from any U.S. Embassy, Consulate, American Space, etc.  In this instance, Post cannot authorize a local contact to screen a film under the MPLC agreement.  In order for audiences in more remote communities to participate in a screening under the MPLC agreement, a representative from the Embassy or Consulate must be present.

No. Posts may not charge admission for any public film screening.

No. Films covered by the MPLC agreement may be screened for an unlimited number of persons per screening.

No. There is no limit to the number of screenings post can organize. Posts may also screen the same film without a limit to the number of screenings.

Films available on home video, DVD or via a streaming format are permissible for screening purposes. All films must be legally sourced. Home videos and DVDs must be purchased from a legal vendor, whether they be from a brick and mortar location or online. Films streamed or downloaded must be done through legally recognized sources such as Amazon Prime, Hulu, iTunes, Netflix, etc. If a post decides to stream a film, the streaming provider must have a legally recognized presence in that country. If a post wishes to stream a film from a provider that does not have a legal presence to operate within the country, employing the use of a virtual private network (VPN), or any other device to evade geo-blocking, is in violation of the MPLC agreement.

No. Edited copies, such as airplane version of films, are not covered by the MPLC agreement.

No. The licensing agreement does not cover DCP copies of films. A post would have to pay for the DCP copy of the film to be created, as well as for a separate licensing agreement. DCP costs vary, depending upon such factors as the distributor and the type of film being requested (feature, documentary, new release, etc.). However, a DCP copy of a typical feature film can cost anywhere from $500 to $1,000. If a post is interested to acquire a DCP copy of a film, please email MPLC@state.gov with this request.

No. The licensing agreement does not cover the fees for using films still and artwork. If a post is interesting in using stills or artwork for promotional purposes, please email MPLC@state.gov with this request.

Yes. Films that have been legally dubbed in another language may be used for screening purposes.

No. Films may not be duplicated, edited or modified in any way without the explicit permission of the film’s producer. This includes subtitling or dubbing the film into another language. The MPLC license cannot grant this right.

Posts must request permission and negotiate to subtitle directly with the film’s producer. ECA can provide producer contacts to posts. Please note that typical subtitling costs are approximately $8.00 per minute. Additional fees for script translation and to create a new file of the film typically apply, as well. This means that one feature-length film can cost several thousand dollars. Apart from being costly, this type of request is also time-consuming and takes months to fulfill, if the producer even agrees to take on the request. Finally, these requests are difficult to put forward. It is not a straightforward process. Therefore, if a post is interested to have a film subtitled, there needs to be a total upfront commitment to the cost and time associated with this type of request.

Film titles, characters, producers, directors, actors, images or anything else directly associated with the film cannot be advertised or publicized to the general public via newspaper, radio, television or by any other public platforms. Please note that these promotional restrictions are per studio requirements and are not imposed by the MPLC.

(AS) However, U.S. Embassy and American Spaces websites, U.S. Embassy and American Spaces social media platforms, U.S. Embassy and American Spaces newsletters and email mailing lists may be used to advertise the details of a screening. Handouts about film programs may also be posted and distributed on American Spaces premises.

No. When a post sponsors a screening to be part of a local film festival or to be held at a non-U.S. government location, those partner organizations are not permitted to advertise the film being screened in any way. This includes referencing the film’s title, director, actors, plot, etc. Please note that these promotional restrictions are per studio requirements and are not imposed by the MPLC.

However, non-U.S. government organizations are permitted to use generic language describing the fact that a post is sponsoring a screening, which can include a link to post’s website or social media platforms with more specific information. Additionally, partner organizations cannot retweet or repost promotional content from the embassy’s or consulate’s online platforms that directly reference the film being screened. It is strongly recommended that this point about no advertising be clearly and thoroughly communicated to non-U.S. government organizations.

No, PBS films are not covered by the MPLC agreement. However, PBS does allow titles designated as “AV Item” to be screened under a limited public performance rights. This means that AV item films may be shown in a classroom or screened by a public group for educational purposes when no admission is charged for the viewing. Screenings of AV item designated films may be transmitted on a closed-circuit system within a building or single campus. In order for this film to be screened under PBS’ limited public performance rights, the film must be purchased through teacher.shop.pbs.org and be marked “AV Item.” The film cannot be purchased through any other channel and still be covered under PBS limited public performance rights. This purchase does not permit a post to duplicate or alter the program for any purpose, to distribute the program through any wide access network (internet, open cable, open broadcast, LAN, satellite, telco, etc.), or to digitize, encode and/or place the program on a digital server.