Frequently Asked Questions

To place an order for a work, please fill in a distribution request form here.

We are unable to take orders over the phone.

Please note you will need the following information to make a booking:

• the full title and artist’s name for each work

• the date(s) and number of screenings for each work

• the format(s) required for each work

• the type of screening (eg. cinema, gallery installation, etc.)

We will then confirm whether the works requested are available.

If you would have any enquiries before booking, please email distribution[at]lux[dot]org[dot]uk

Please note, we receive a very high volume of emails, but we aim to respond to all requests within 2 working days.

Orders in the United Kingdom must be placed at least 4 weeks before the screening date. International orders must be placed at least 6 weeks in advance. If orders placed after these deadlines are processed, there is an additional handling charge of £10 per item.

For orders placed within 5 business days of the screening date (for the United Kingdom) or 10 business days of the screening date (for International bookings), where the order can still be processed, the charge is then doubled to £20 per item.

All works in the collection are available for theatrical-type screenings. All prices have been agreed with the artists and are non-negotiable. Where the artist has not stipulated their own price, works are priced according to their individual length:

1 – 20 mins £50
Over 20 mins £120
Over 60 mins £180
Over 120 mins £250

Prices are for a single public screening. Repeat screenings are charged at a 50% rate.

Prices are based on the length of individual works, not combined running lengths in the case of multiple works – this includes orders of multiple works by a single artist.

Late return of films or videos will result in automatic additional charges (see below).

Many works from the collection are available for longer or looped exhibition, but costs and availability vary depending on the work, the format and the exhibition period. Where work is to be shown as a 16mm loop, the cost will include production of one or more exhibition prints. Some works may also have different installation requirements for exhibition in a gallery setting.

Like screening fees, some works are priced by the artist. Prices start from £600 per month (one month minimum) and subsequently from £400 per month afterward excluding VAT, handling and shipment.

To inquire about availability and costs for a particular work, please contact us including the following information:

the work(s) requested and the format(s) required
details of how the work would be exhibited (e.g. projected, on a monitor, on a film loop, whether in a discrete space etc.)
details of the exhibition, including the general outline, exhibition period and other artists involved.

Many LUX works are available to purchase as limited editions for private and public collections.

Many works are also available to purchase for libraries and educational institutions, for onsite educational use only.

Please contact [email protected] for details of costs and availability for particular works.

The catalogue indicates the formats in which a work is potentially available, but in many cases there may not be an existing copy in a particular format and it will have to be made to order. In which case there would extra production costs, and we may require additional time for production so please give us as much notice as possible to make sure we can produce a screening copy in time. Please enquire if you have any questions regarding the available format of specific titles before placing an order.

It may be possible for LUX to make digital copies of works currently only held on 16mm, with the artist’s consent; additional costs will apply if the film materials require telecine transfer.

Most videos can be supplied as

  • HD or SD Quicktime H264 or Prores.mov
  • DCP

We are not always able to check DCPs prior to despatch. We may also be able to provide works on DVD or Bluray.  Please note some works also specify 5.1 Surround Sound for screening or exhibition.

All videos are PAL format unless otherwise specified; it maybe be possible to provide NTSC copies, although there will be an additional cost for standards conversion.

Digital works on HD or SD Quicktime can be provided on a Hard Drive or sent by Online Transfer.

Large files over 10 GB may need to be sent on a hard drive by courier. The USB drive will be MAC formatted (unless specified otherwise).

Standard Hard Drives can be purchased and cost £20, excluding VAT. Larger drives for multiple works or heavy files will have an additional cost.

If you would like to provide your own hard drive please provide an Apple Mac OS-formatted Hard Drive large enough for the files at least 2 weeks before the screening date, with the LUX invoice number clearly indicated on the drive.

Please note: All rentals must be paid in advance.

All payments must be made in Great British Pounds by direct bank transfer, credit card payment, paypal or international cheque. All payments must use LUX invoice number as reference.

If payment is made by bank transfer, you must email finance[at]lux[dot]org[dot]uk a transcript confirmation before the order will be processed. All bank charges incurred from both the sender and the receiver’s bank must be paid by the renter – please make sure you tick the appropriate boxes on the transfer request. Please clearly mark the LUX invoice number as reference on the transfer.

Prices do not include VAT. Renters in EEC countries must supply their own VAT number with the order or 20% will be added to the bill. Please note that we can only take VAT numbers that are valid via VIES VAT Number Validation.

If you are an EEC customer and you require a ‘certificate of residency’ in order not to withhold local VAT from payments, this must be requested at least 6 weeks before the screening date, otherwise a 25% administrative charge will be added to the order.

There is also a £25 administrative handling charge added to all orders from outside the UK. There is a £20 administrative handling charge to UK orders.

If you wish to pay by credit card please email finance[at]lux[dot]org[dot]uk and quote your LUX invoice number. Please note: do not email your credit card details for payment as this is not secure.

All film prints must be collected and returned by courier, NEVER by standard mail.

If the renter supplies their courier details, we can arrange for collection and outward shipment and send the waybill number when collection is made for tracking purposes. In the event that the LUX has to provide a courier, a premium will be charged. Please note return shipments must be arranged by the renter who will need to send tracking information on shipments to LUX at [email protected]. All charges both ways, including any customs clearance, must be paid by the renter – failure to do so will result in extra charges.

Prints must be insured for their proper value, this information can be provided by the Distribution Manager.

All cancellations will be subject to a £40 administration charge. Cancellations received less than 10 business days before the screening date will be charged at the full amount.

Films and videos must be returned immediately within 5 working days of the final screening date.

Failure to return films and videos within this time will result in further automatic charges of £10 per day per work.

All return charges, including customs clearance, must be paid by the renter – please tick relevant boxes on courier airway bill. All International returns outside the European Union must be accompanied by a pro forma invoice clearly stating that the films are: 

“British Return: Shipment for LUX – UK Registered Charity No: 1094936. LUX is an ARCHIVE for artists moving image, film reels have no commercial value, are for temporary import only. Cultural and Educational purpose only. No Porn.”

All digital files or copies must be deleted from any servers or drives.

Damage to works must be reported immediately. Additional damage charges may apply to any change in condition of the print during a rental, including but not limited to: sprocket damage; scratching; missing frames; tearing; failure to return the original can / shipping case. Renters are liable up to the full cost of a new print or tape in the case of print loss or damage incurred during the rental.

We will inform renters if works contain sensitive material when they are first ordered. The renter accepts full liability for any loss, fees or damage incurred by problems with customs.

Works can be supplied in a variety of formats for screening. Renters must inform LUX when booking the work if is to be duplicated in any way, eg. put onto a compilation for screening purposes.

In the event of duplication, ALL copies of the work must be returned to LUX or deleted after the screening. Renters cannot retain any copies of any work hired from LUX in any form, including on computer hard drives, without prior written permission.

Viewing is available for curators, researchers and students. A complete list of works is available in the online catalogue, but please note that not all works will be available to view at short notice. Our preview service is often oversubscribed, so please give as much notice as possible when contacting us about viewing work.

Curators and programmers wishing to preview works for professional purposes may be given accounts to access to online previews where available (please note only a small part of LUX’s collection is currently available as an online preview though we are adding to this resource all the time). We can capture older video works for preview but please note this will can take up to two to three weeks. Accounts are strictly for professional research purposes only and are non-transferable. A login, valid for a two week period and offering access to all works currently hosted on LUX’s servers, costs £25.

Onsite viewing of work where no digital copy is available is strictly by appointment only. Bookings must be made at least one week in advance and a list of films and videos must be sent in advance. Viewing costs £10 per hour for the first hour £5 an hour after that.

To book a viewing session, or to request an online preview login, please contact contact the Distribution Manager at [email protected]

Promotional stills can be supplied in relation to screening and exhibition hires. Stills from works in the LUX archive are also available for use in publications, subject to a licensing agreement and fee. We will charge a minimum handling fee of £20 for supplying any digital images. Please contact us with details of the particular works/images that you require.

Prices do not include VAT. Hirers in EU countries must supply their VAT/TVA number with the order or 20% will be added to the bill. Please note that we can only take VAT numbers that are valid via VIES VAT Number Validation.

Many of the works distributed by LUX are available for broadcast, cable and webcast. please submit an online request from on our distribution request form specifying the contract terms.

All works distributed by LUX are copyright the artist and LUX. They may not be duplicated, exhibited publicly, broadcast, cable cast, webcast, distributed or broadcast in any medium without the written permission of LUX.
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