The following are sites to watch online videos for free. Some sites have Creative Commons licenses, some are in the public domain, but some have copyrighted materials. Please check the FAQs and About sections of the individual web sites to verify you can use the material before using a video in or for a course. Check out the Licensed Streaming Video tab for a list of films that the library has licensed.
American Memory, Library of Congress
- Films and videos covering a wide range of topics including American music, film, and Civil Rights, in the Library of Congress Digital Collections.
Black Film Archive
- A "living register" of Black films made from 1915 to 1975 that are available to stream. This website serves as a historic and cultural guide with links and descriptions to films that were made, produced, directed, or starred by Black film makers and actors.
Documentary Heaven
- Educational documentaries covering a wide range of topics and presented from varying points of view, organized by category and searchable by frequency of use. Topics include business, crime, economics, history, and psychology.
Frontline
- A PBS documentary series with a focus on investigative journalism regarding contemporary issues in American Society.
Internet Archive
- Internet Archive is a non-profit digital library offering free universal access to books, movies & music, as well as 439 billion archived web pages. The video ranges from classic full-length films, to daily alternative news broadcasts, cartoons and concerts, and video game videos. Many of these videos are available for free download.
Kunhardt Film Foundation
- The Kunhardt Film Foundation (KFF) produces documentary films, interviews and teaching tools that explore issues relating to history, politics, social justice, the arts, and culture. Beginning in 2018, many of these films and interviews are being transferred to KFF to establish a unique educational resource for the public. This site serves as an archive for the documentaries, interviews and photos. The Archives will expand into an open collection of primary source materials such as newsreel and public domain footage.
National Film Board of Canada
- This collection has over 4,000 films, documentaries, and short pieces available to stream for free. This includes Indigenous Cinema, a library of over 200 films by indigenous directors.
POV, PBS
- "POV (a cinema term for “point of view”) is television’s longest-running showcase for independent nonfiction films. POV premieres 14-16 of the best, boldest and most innovative programs every year on PBS. Since 1988, POV has presented over 500 films to public television audiences across the country. POV films are known for their intimacy, their unforgettable storytelling and their timeliness, putting a human face on contemporary social issues."
