Image: IWM (Q 79501). Still from the British film "The Battle of the Somme", 1 July 1916.

Did you know you can licence full-length films in IWM's collection for screenings?

We are always pleased to hear from cinema exhibitors and project co-ordinators wishing to use IWM films for public, academic, and commercial screenings.  Services we offer include advising you from initial research through to copyright clearance, as well as supply of digital files as Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs). 

110 year anniversary: the first filmed battle in British military history

Filmed during the First World War’s bloodiest episode in 1916,  The Battle of the Somme, assembled from footage taken by two cameramen, remains one of the most successful films ever made. Throughout the autumn of 1916 around 20 million people flocked to see it.  To mark the centenary of the conflict, IWM partnered with organisations to hold international screenings of the UNESCO-listed 1916 film. As we approach the 110 year anniversary, we have received requests from heritage organisations to screen the film for their communities.  

Thousands of films to choose from on IWM Film, our dedicated film website

Other feature length documentaries in our collection include The Battle of the Ancre and the Advance of the Tanks (1917) and Western Approaches (1944), a recently restored Technicolour film that dramatises the perils faced by Merchant Navy sailors.

If there is a film or topic not easily identifiable in the collection please do not hesitate to get in touch with our licensing team.

Image: IWM (HU 59419). Invitation card to a screening of the film 'Battle of the Somme', at the Scala Theatre, August 1916.

How to make an enquiry

Please contact film@iwm.org.uk and include as much information as possible so we can assist with your order.

 WHAT would you like to use?

Tell us the title of the film and the catalogue number of the film record if you know it. We can provide guidance on how to search for suitable film titles for your project. To begin your search, refer to the dedicated film site: IWM Film

HOW would you like to use it?

This might be as part of an ongoing exhibition, online, for screening(s), a combination, or something else entirely.

WHERE would you like to use it?

Tell us the platform or location of the intended exhibition or screening.

HOW LONG would you like to use it?

Tell us the intended date and duration of your exhibition or screening and how many occasions. For example, 10 public screenings.