Ephemeral films

1–48 of 19,487 films, free to watch, from the world's open archives.

Where these films come from, and who sees what

Every film here plays from the archive that keeps it: the Internet Archive, Wikimedia Commons, the NASA Image and Video Library, the Library of Congress and Open Images (the Netherlands Institute for Sound and Vision). Nothing is copied to this site. Each film's page names its archive, links to its page there, and states its licence or status as the archive does.

Archive films carry no age ratings, so each is placed from the collections it sits in and the subjects the archive gives it, cautiously. Sexual content and nudity are left out altogether.

Little OnesFilms for young children by name: nursery rhymes, lullabies, preschool.
KidsCartoons and animation, children's and family films, and educational films, unless they deal with war, propaganda, crime, horror or drugs, or carry racial caricature.
TweensDocumentaries, science, nature and space, classic comedies, newsreels, commercials and lectures.
TeensEverything else, including anything we cannot tell about; war, crime, horror and westerns go no lower.
AdultSexual themes (such as the old "sex hygiene" films), gore, surgery, slaughter, atrocity footage.
Internet Archive Human birth. 1973 · Educational · 17 min · Subtitles Also issued as loop films in super 8 mm. on reel; in super 8 mm. in cartridge; in super 8 mm. on reel with magnetic sound; in super 8 mm. in cartridge with… Internet Archive Modern Guide to Health 1947 · Cartoon · 8 min Animation short promoting general health awareness. NHS in 1947. Public health. Public Health Campaign Films. Post War era. Humorous cartoon treatment of… Internet Archive Bees and Spiders 1927 · Film · Subtitles Life history of the bee, the economic value of bees through honeymaking and pollinization, and the habits and appearance of the garden and trap door spider. Internet Archive Introduction to Holography 1972 · Educational · 16 min This film examines the process of holography, types of holograms, and the uses of the hologram for artistic and scientific purposes, as demonstrated by Tung… Internet Archive Alone at Home 1983 · Film Provides guidance for children who spend part of the day at home without adult supervision. Includes basic information about safety and emergency procedures,… Internet Archive The Horror of it all 1983 · Educational · 59 min · Subtitles Combines rare film clips, stills, and interviews in a chronicle of the fifty years of horror film production. Covers the early days of Nosferatu to today's… Internet Archive DOPE 477 2005 · Film · Subtitles Meth "crisis," shuttle, osteoporosis TX. See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive Time Of Fear 2004 · Film · Subtitles "....Time of Fear tells the story of the 16,000 men, women, and children who were sent to two relocation camps in southeast Arkansas - one of the poorest and… Internet Archive Labor comes of age 1969 · Educational · 18 min · Subtitles Words of F.D.R. spoken by Charlton Heston ; narrator, Arthur Kennedy ; consultant, Mrs. Franklin D. Roosevelt A Films Incorporated presentation An episode… Internet Archive Private SNAFU - Booby Traps 1944 · Cartoon · 4 min Private Snafu learns about the hazards of enemy booby traps the hard way. This is one of 26 Private SNAFU ('Situation Normal, All Fouled Up) cartoons made by… Internet Archive Sudden Birth 1967 · Educational · 22 min This film was made to instruct police officers on the basics of childbirth and to show them an actual birth - mostly so they wouldn't panic or pass out when… Internet Archive Experiments in motion graphics 1968 · Educational · 11 min · Subtitles John H. Whitney explains the graphic art potential of the computer and the methods and philosophy involved in his computer film making. Search Educational… Internet Archive Niok 1960 · Educational · 29 min · Subtitles Niok Points out the world-wide importance of rice as a principal food and describes methods of growing it. Shows steps being taken to improve the quantity and… Internet Archive Ways of Seeing: Fine Arts and Commerce 1974 · Commercial · 31 min Produced by the BBC Art critic John Berger discusses the nature of advertising in relation to the tradition of oil painting. Points out that advertising… Internet Archive Dope 137 1989 · Film · Subtitles Panama war...Koop on legalization..crack whores...48 Hours Crystal.. HighwaySee scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive Rikki-Tikki-Tavi 1974 · Cartoon An animated version of Rudyard Kipling's tale of a mongoose who is saved from a storm by a boy and his parents, and then becomes the family's defender against… Internet Archive Six American Families the Georges of New York 1977 · Educational · 54 min · Subtitles Six American Families the Georges of New York Summary Introduces a series of six television documentaries portraying the lives of American families of varied… Internet Archive Detroit's pattern of growth 1965 · Educational · 15 min · Subtitles Traces the various influences which have led to the present street patterns of metropolitan Detroit Internet Archive The Ordeal of Thomas Moon 1957 · Film Medical film sponsored by the Philadelphia-based pharmaceutical firm to illustrate how obesity affects the performance of simple everyday tasks. This unusual… Internet Archive [Rural Civil Defense TV Spots 1965] 1965 · Film Public service announcements by the U.S. Civil Defense office inform farmers what to do in case of nuclear attack using marionettes. To license this film and… Internet Archive Our Mr. Sun 1956 · Cartoon From the description in Rick Prelinger's Field Guide to Sponsored Films: Popular scientific film directed by Frank Capra that launched the Bell System Science… Internet Archive The Flow of Zen 1969 · Educational · 14 min · Subtitles Discusses the philosophy of Zen Buddhism. Shows how Buddhist chants synchronized with striking psychedelic pictures, turn the mind inward and induce a state… Internet Archive Classic Dope 4 1994 · Film · Subtitles June 1994 . Robocop dope, riot control spray. Calloway, Hi De Ho. Koop, war on smoking, Koop not want tobacco prohibition, airlines cut ventilation, origin of… Internet Archive Junior High School 1978 · Educational A musical comedy about a young student who is trying to woo the most popular girl in the school Internet Archive Harry 1980 · Educational · 40 min Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film Host Abba Eban explores the history of the Jews in America from colonial… Internet Archive Nai: The Story of a !Kung Woman 1980 · Educational · 58 min VHS Footage accumulated by John Marshall over a thirty-year period documents the life of a !Kung woman from childhood to middle age and shows how her life… Internet Archive View From Space 1969 · Educational · 49 min · Subtitles View From Space A graphic insight into the world of space photography. Includes footage showing the physical aspects of the earth and explains how man has… Internet Archive Hiroshima-Nagasaki, August 1945 1969 · Educational · 15 min · Subtitles Harvard Film Archive, projection print somewhat scratched, HFA Item no: 9675. From The Amos Vogel Annenberg School of Communications Collection Running time… Internet Archive Mao Tse Tung 1963 · Educational · 25 min Mao Tse Tung Introduces secondary school students to the career of Marco Polo, showing how he, as a lad of 17, set out from Venice for the empire of the… Internet Archive Drugs Are Like That 1979 · Film Anita Bryant (famous Florida orange juice and anti-gay spokeswoman) narrates this film that tries to simplify its drug abuse message with an analogy of kids… Internet Archive Beginning Responsibility: Lunchroom Manners 1959 · Educational · 9 min The rude, clumsy puppet Mr. Bungle shows kids how to behave in the school cafeteria - the assumption being that kids actually want to behave during lunch.… Internet Archive Pride the Saddle Horse (2ed) 1952 · Film Illustrates various roles of the horse in modern life, and traces the development and training of a colt until he becomes a prize saddle horse at three years… Internet Archive The Miracle of Life 1983 · Educational · 29 min · Subtitles The Miracle of Life Reel 1 A documentary which shows the actual conception and development of a baby. Looks inside the male and female reproductive organs to… Internet Archive DOPE 483 2006 · Film · Subtitles End of Olmpics - skaters, Steve Kubby, Barry Bonds. See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive A Man Called "Bee": Studying the Yanomamo 1975 · Educational Follows anthropologists Napoleon Chagnon as he collects anthropological field data among the Yanoama Indians of southern Venezuela Photography, Timothy Asch… Internet Archive New Town 1948 · Short · 8 min This film shows in light fashion how to set about replanning a town. Post war period .New Towns. overcrowded inner cities. building out of town. Internet Archive Project Mercury: Mercury-Redstone 1 Launch 1960 · Film This 15-minute video shows the extensive testing procedures applied to the Mercury spacecraft before rollout. It also shows the rollout, launch attempts, and… Internet Archive Congruent Triangles 1977 · Educational · 7 min Bruce and Katharine Cornwell are primarily known for a series of remarkable animated films on the subject of geometry. Created on the Tektronics 4051 Graphics… Internet Archive Year 1999 AD Short · 21 min Illustrates the life of a family of the year 1999 A.D. living in a house that is completely functional in terms of advanced technology. To license this film… Internet Archive Comparative Tests On A Human And A Chimpanzee Infant Of Approximately The Same Age, Part 2 1932 · Film Compares the reactions of a normal human infant between the ages of 10 and 14.5 months to psychological tests, and the responses of a chimpanzee companion,… Internet Archive Road Construction Ahead 1991 · Film "An action-packed video with all the awesome earth-moving and road construction equipment your kids love to watch!"-- description from box. Internet Archive Hollywood: The Golden Years 1961 · Educational · 53 min · Subtitles Hollywood: The Golden Years Traces the growth of the motion picture industry from nickelodeon days to the advent of sound. Features such stars as Charles… Internet Archive Colonial Naturalist 1964 · Educational · 56 min From WorldCat: Presents a dramatization of the extended field trip made by Mark Catesby in colonial Virginia and the ultimate publication of his two-volume… Internet Archive Ghost Rider 1982 · Short · 14 min Kevin, feeling very sad and lonely after spending his first day in a new junior high school meets a young girl on his bus ride home who drops a pencil and… Internet Archive Geneva Towers Implosion 1999 · Film The infamous Geneva Towers housing project was imploded to make way for improved public housing. Internet Archive Reading, Writing and Reefer (1979) 1979 · Educational · 51 min Reading, Writing and Reefer (1979) A factual report on the widespread, habitual use of marijuana among today's teenagers. Presents a simplified chemical… Internet Archive Train Adventures For Kids 1994 · Film · Subtitles "Join Jake and Jody as the magical engineer Smoky Jones reveals the wonders of trains both big and small."-- description from box. Internet Archive Madeline 1955 · Educational · 6 min · Subtitles Madeline Surveys the origins, rituals, and symbols of the major religions of the world, including Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Mohammedanism…