Basically films come in two classes, 1. films ACTUALLY distributed/opened in the US. This basically refers to films that opened in a theater in New York. and 2. foreign films NOT distributed in the US.
For the first group find the New York Times review, it will list the distributor , google them. If they still exist but say they no longer have the rights, you must politely but firmly ask them to look in their records for contact info. Trust me they have it in 99% of the cases. If the original distributor no longer exists see if you can find what happened to their assets and/or try the suggestion below for films not distributed in the US. OK for films NOT distributed in the US, go to the original VARIETY review, it will list one or more production companies. Films never distributed in the US are likely to be expensive and difficult and may simply not be available. Keep in mind that about 99% of US feature films are under copyright and under the terms of GATT virtually 100% of non US films from countries who are signatories ( most of Europe, Japan & Latin America as far as I know) are protected. Just because you can not locate the rights holder does not mean the film does not have one. Honestly if you want to spend the money there are folks who can locate the rights holder for almost any film but between their fee and what the rights holder might want it is rarely worth the effort,however it is important to keep in mind that almost all films made after 1923 are copyrighted in the US and have an owner. Have fun. -- Jessica Rosner Media Consultant [email protected] 224-545-3897 Cell 212-627-1785-Office
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