Alternate versions

• Tracking your contribution

What kind of things are considered alternate versions?

For our purposes, an "alternate version" is a new version of a movie that's different from the one that was originally and widely released in theatres.

• Director's Cuts / Special Editions: Contracts under the terms of the Hollywood Director's Guild allow about six weeks for a director to assemble a cut without studio interference. This is fully edited and has a synchronized sound track; however, it is usually not color-corrected nor density-corrected and may not have the final music and effects track. In more recent times, due to an expanding video after-market, the term director's cut has acquired a popular meaning that implies a finished final print, officially prepared by the director or with their consent, and usually including scenes not included in the original theatrical release. Many director's cuts are re-released in theaters or on video. Examples: Blade Runner, Alien, The Exorcist.
  
  
• Restored Versions: Classic movies are sometimes re-released (usually many years after their original premiere) with never before seen or long-lost restored scenes. Examples: Spartacus, Lawrence of Arabia, The Wild Bunch.
  
  
• Censorship Changes: Censorship laws often impose changes or deletions before a film can be given a certificate and released. In the USA, movies are often cut after being submitted to the MPA in order to avoid an X or NC-17 rating; sometimes the deleted scenes are restored for the video release, or are left intact in the European release. Other countries have different censorship standards: UK releases routinely cut any scene that suggests violence or mishandling of animals (i.e., the mouse sequence in The Abyss).
  
  
• Unauthorized / Unofficial versions: Sometimes a movie is cut or otherwise modified from the original version without the consent or the knowledge of the filmmakers. A frequent occurrence is when a foreign distributor decides to remove scenes to reduce the film's running time in order to get more showings per day or to make it more appealing to the local audience, often by including a different music score.

What kind of things DO NOT qualify as alternate versions?

• Television versions: Films, especially R-rated ones, are routinely cut or altered before they can be shown on network television or airlines to delete objectionable language and frames or to fit a two-hour time slot. These changes are routine, don't necessarily represent alternate versions and will not be considered here. However, TV versions which add new footage (i.e., 1941), significantly re-edit or change existing material or substitute new scenes (i.e., Basic Instinct) in place of deleted sequences will be listed.
  
  
• An alternate version has to be (or have been) available for public viewing: therefore sneak preview/press release preliminary screenings don't qualify as alternate versions unless these cuts are also distributed in theatres (or on video), even if for a short time, because otherwise thousands of films would qualify (most American movies are sneak previewed and then partly recut/reshot).
  
  
• Likewise, the simple existence of outtake footage or unused material for a film doesn't make necessarily an alternate version: for example, some of the famous "Biggs" sequences removed from Star Wars prior to initial release and the discarded music scores by Alex North for 2001: A Space Odyssey or Bernard Herrmann for Torn Curtain have never been used in any released print of those movies. Therefore they don't qualify as alternate versions. Similarly, deleted scenes included on a DVD, unless they are part of a completely recut version, are not considered "alternate versions."
  
  
• Alternate titles (there is another list specifically for this).


• Differences between the trailer and the released version do not qualify as an alternate version.
  

Adding alternate versions, cuts, or editions as separate titles

Depending on the difference between the original cut and the new one, it may be eligible for a separate title page - however this is uncommon.

For more information, please see the specific section in our Adding a new title article for more information on what we may or may not allow.

Tracking your contribution

You can now track the status of your Alternate Version submission and if it has not been approved, we'll tell you the reason why.

If you are using the mobile apps, mobile website or desktop website you can access this feature via the 'Track your contribution' button, which has been added to the submission email receipt. Additionally, if you are using the desktop website, you can also use the 'Track Contribution' button now found in your contribution history page.

Clicking this button will take you to IMDb Contributor, our new contribution specific site where you will be shown the status of your request.