Free & Legal Streaming Video Resources on the Web
- MovieclipsProvides more than 12,000 short clips from feature films licensed from Fox, MGM, Paramount, Sony, Universal and Warner Bros. The Movieclips player can be embedded in social media and used in PowerPoint presentations. Reuse of the clips requires registering with the site.
- UbuWeb: Film & VideoA resource for avant-garde and experimental media with an extensive film and video collection.
- Internet ArchiveThe Internet Archive's moving image collection provides access to nearly a quarter million films, uploaded by users, ranging from classic full-length films, to daily alternative news broadcasts, to cartoons and concerts, and ephemeral films from the Prelinger Archive.
- FolkstreamsA large collection of documentary films about American folk, or roots cultures. Includes essays about the traditions and filmmakers, transcriptions, study and teaching guides, suggested readings, and links to related websites.
- Media Burn ArchiveThe Media Burn Archive features a collection of documentary video and television created by artists, activists, and community groups.
- National Film Board of CanadaThe National Film Board of Canada is a Canadian government agency that produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions. The NFB website provides information on over 13,000 National Film Board of Canada films, and includes free access to over 2,000 films, excerpts, trailers, and interactive works for online screening.
- P.O.V. VideoP.O.V. Video provides a selection of full length films, short films, and lesson plan based clips from the acclaimed PBS documentary film series P.O.V.
- SnagFilmsProvides access to full-length films and tv shows from a wide range of commercial and independent producers.
- CrackleFree movies and TV shows from Sony Pictures.
- PopcornflixHollywood movies, documentaries, foreign films, unique original web series.
- TubitvFree movies from Paramount Pictures and Starz
Streaming Video resources
- Academic Video Online This link opens in a new window
Access a massive collection of streaming videos, including documentaries, interviews, performances, newsreels, field recordings, commercials, and raw footage, among others. Most topics are represented in this database. (Alexander Street Press)
- Kanopy This link opens in a new windowSearch this streaming video collection of documentaries, educational films, classic Hollywood movies, and world cinema. Note: Not all Kanopy films are immediately available for streaming. For any that are unavailable, please fill out the request form in Kanopy with as much information as possible to convey your teaching or research needs. The library will only unlock videos used for courses and assignments. (OverDrive)
- Theatre in Video This link opens in a new windowStream documentaries, performances of various plays, and interviews with directors, designers, writers, and actors. (Alexander Street Press)
Finding Movies in the Library Catalog
The library has an extensive collection of DVD's, Blu-rays, and VHS as well as numerous streaming video platforms. Here are some tips for searching for films in the catalog:
- Always filter the results of your search by Video/DVD, DVD only, or Streaming Video.
- Search the catalog for specific titles, it helps to put exact titles in quotations like "The Wild Bunch". If you are searching for a film that has a non-English title, the title in the film's original language may appear first in the record.
- Search the catalog for contributors/creators. Films do not have just one "author" like books do. They have directors, actors, editors, producers- and filter the results.
- Search by language. Films are categorized by language, but take note that some films have multiple languages. For example- search the catalog for Motion pictures Japanese and filter the results.
- Search for films by country of production- the country of production does not just include a film's location- it includes the countries that financially produced the film as well. So, take this into consideration if you are just looking for films based in a certain place, or national cinemas. For example you can search for Motion pictures Germany, and then filter the results .
- Search for films by genre or form, for example Animated films, Western films, War films, Experimental films, Suspense films, Adventure films, Documentary films, Silent films.
- Streaming movies are added to the catalog every few months, so for the best results it helps to search the streaming video platform directly. See the links below.
- All DVD's, Blu-ray's and VHS are located in the library's Media Resource Center.
Humanities Librarian
Marcia Whitehead
Contact:
Boatwright Library
28 Westhampton Way
804-289-8823
28 Westhampton Way
804-289-8823
Subjects: American Studies, Biography, Book Reviews, Citing Sources, Classical Studies, E-Books, English & Literature, First Year Seminar, French, German, Humanities, International Education, Language and Linguistics, Languages, Literatures, and Cultures, Latin American, Latino, and Iberian Studies, Master of Liberal Arts, Primary Resources, Reference Sources, Rhetoric & Communication Studies, Richmond Area , Russian, Scholarly Publications, Spanish, Special Topics
