Case Study Article: Licensing Archival Footage for Marty Supreme
IMG recently supported the production of the feature film Marty Supreme by licensing archival sports footage that appears within the film. The production team required authentic historical visuals to enhance a key tournament scene, and our archive provided the perfect material to help bring the moment to life on screen.
For this project, IMGVA licensed approximately five seconds of original newsreel footage from our WTT (World Table Tennis) archive, originally filmed in 1956, depicting the real tournament that the character in Marty Supreme is shown competing in. The clip originates from an earlier period of table tennis competition, highlighting the depth of IMGVA’s archive and the continued value of historic material for modern productions. Although brief, the footage plays an important role in grounding the scene in historical reality. By integrating genuine period footage with the film’s narrative, the filmmakers were able to add authenticity and context that would be difficult to recreate through modern production alone.
Archival newsreel footage is often used in filmmaking to establish time, place, and credibility. In the case of Marty Supreme, the licensed clip helps bridge the fictional narrative with the real sporting history that inspired it. The film’s central character is based on the real-life American table tennis champion Marty Reisman, whose colourful career and achievements helped popularise the sport during the mid-20th century. Even a short segment of authentic footage can elevate a scene by giving audiences a sense that they are witnessing a real historical moment rather than a recreation.
Projects like this demonstrate how archival media can play a valuable supporting role in modern film production. Production teams frequently turn to archives when they need historically accurate visuals that reflect the atmosphere of a particular era.
IMGVA works closely with filmmakers, producers, and editors to identify suitable material and deliver footage that integrates seamlessly into their productions. The collaboration with the Marty Supreme production highlights the versatility of newsreel archives. While these clips were originally produced to document events for contemporary audiences, they continue to find new life decades later in documentaries, television, and feature films.
By licensing material from the archive, filmmakers gain access to authentic visual records that enrich their storytelling.The use of archival sports footage to support film and television productions continues to grow as producers look for authentic visuals to help establish a specific time period. Recent examples include the feature film Office Romance, which licensed Premier League archive footage, and the feature film Thursday Murder Club, which also used Premier League archive material. These projects highlight how historic sports footage continues to find new life across a range of modern productions.
Marty Supreme has generated significant attention since its release, receiving widespread recognition during awards season. The film received several Oscar nominations for the 2026 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director, and a Best Actor nomination for Timothée Chalamet, reflecting both its creative ambition and the quality of its production.
Being part of a project that reaches this level of industry recognition is always exciting for the archive and demonstrates the ongoing value of historical footage within modern media.
You can view the official trailer for Marty Supreme below to get a glimpse of the film and the sporting world it portrays.