See the The Film, Video and Streaming Media Collections Research Guide which provides crucial information for finding and accessing online/digital/"streamable" films. This guide includes a list of Links to find OA films.
For a focused search for films in UC Library Search, use "Advanced Search" and limit your search to "Library Catalog" (via the radio buttons along the top of the search box). Then use the drop-down menu beneath "Material Type" (the top option in the menu on the right) to change "All Items" to "Video/Film."
When you initiate a film request for a course, please submit it as a Course Reserve request. Feel free to copy me. If not for a course, please email me and/or use the Recommend a Purchase Form.
Please note that limited Staff have returned to work to process digital conversion requests in order to make necessary physical media items available for courses, and the way to initiate such requests is through Course Reserves (see above).
*A note on subscription-based streaming services such as Amazon and Netflix. Unfortunately, we cannot – generally -- buy group streaming rights from Amazon and Netflix, but renting a movie is often not very expensive and a website like this can identify streaming services/prices for various titles: https://www.justwatch.com.
some Netflix Original educational documentaries are available for one-time educational screenings. As this link explains: https://help.netflix.com/en/node/57695. You can find out which titles are available for educational screenings, go to the "Only On Netflix" section of media.netflix.com. From here, navigate to "All Alphabetical" and look for the grant of permission indicated on such films’ details page.
Online (Streamable) Film Databases that UCSD Library subscribes to:
Includes over 26,000 videos available. The videos come from leading producers such as the BBC, California Newsreel, Criterion Collection, First Run Features, Kino Lorber and PBS, with more content added each year. Many of the films are from independent and specialty producers, with a focus on documentary films.
The UCSD version (ucsd.kanopy. com – where the link on the Databases A-Z list goes) includes the films that we subscribe to. However, Kanopy has more films – which you can find here: www.kanopy.com – and I can order any that you need.
Swank Digital Campus: Provides colleges and universities with the "Top 500" titles in Swank's extensive catalog of narrative features and documentaries.
Films on Demand – Master Academic Collection: Digital video streaming service which offers access to educational videos from a variety of producers including A&E, PBS, the BBC, National Geographic, HBO Documentary Films, Bill Moyers, Films for the Humanities & Sciences, and more. The Master Academic Collection brings together over 25,000 videos from many areas of study, including health & medicine, humanities & social sciences, science & mathematics, business & economics, as well as archival films & newsreels.
Films on Demand – World Cinema Collection: Includes the best of the silent era, groundbreaking international directors, masterpieces from the mid-20th century, and contemporary films from around the world, including Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North America.
Docuseek2 Complete Collection: Discover, access, license, stream and share over 1500 documentary and social issues films and videos. This database provides educational streaming access to content from Bullfrog Films, Icarus Films (including The Fanlight Collection and dGenerate Films), Kartemquin Films, MediaStorm, the National Film Board of Canada, Scorpion TV, Sincerely Films, Terra Nova Films and Villon Films. Topics covered include business and economics, health care, humanities, performing arts, and social sciences. Docuseek2 supports the ability to create clips, playlists, and save searches of the films and videos available through this website.
Ethnographic Video Online (Volumes I, II and III)
Database of anthropological documentary films, covering every region of the world, featuring the work of many influential documentary filmmakers of the 20th century. Includes transcripts, interviews, previously unreleased raw footage, field notes, study guides, etc. As of August 2015, has 1,844 videos (1,319 hours). Individual films are also cataloged in roger.ucsd.edu - search on title "Alexander Street Press. Ethnographic online videos"
LGBT Studies in Video is a cinematic survey of the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people as well as the cultural and political evolution of the LGBT community. This collection features award-winning documentaries, interviews, archival footage, and select feature films exploring LGBT history, gay culture and subcultures, civil rights, marriage equality, LGBT families, AIDS, transgender issues, religious perspectives on homosexuality, global comparative experiences, and other topics.
Drama Online Video: Includes videos of plays from across the history of the theatre, ranging from Aeschylus to the present day.
See the Film Studies Research Guide as well as:
