Yours

Ephemeral films

6,961–7,008 of 19,489 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 "STRANGE VICTORY" GROUND BREAKING 1948 ANTI-RACIST/ ANTI-FASCIST DOCUMENTARY FILM XD7598 Documentary Leo Hurwitz’s extraordinary documentary “Strange Victory” (1948) was the first significant post-WWII anti-racist, anti-fascist non-fiction films. It is… Internet Archive Drive In - Prevues Of Coming Attractions - Colorsplash Short This clip is only a few seconds long. Suggestion: insert this clip at the beginning of any group of trailers when making yopur double-feature dvds. Internet Archive "FREEDOM COMES HIGH" MELODRAMATIC WWII PROPAGANDA FILM 77254 Film Featuring actress Barbara Britton and actor James Craig, and directed by veteran filmmaker Lewis Allen, this WWII U.S. Navy propaganda film "Freedom Comes… Internet Archive Royal Children 1961 · Documentary · 17 min A 1961 British short documentary about Queen Elizabeth II's children. Produced by Associated British-Pathe for the Central Office of Information. Note: the… Internet Archive The Triumph Of Lester Snapwell 1963 · Short · 21 min A 1963 short comedy film about the history of amateur photography....which, of course, leads to a plug for the Kodak Instamatic cameras. Starring Buster… Internet Archive 1941 OPERATION BARBAROSSA NEWSREEL GERMAN ASSAULT ON LATVIA & LITHUANIA EASTERN FRONT WWII 10874 Newsreel One of a series of silent 16mm newsreels made for the enjoyment of the German public, "Fight Against Bolshevism #1" shows the German Wehrmacht at the… Internet Archive Tornado Film Tornado! Documents the impact a tornado takes on a community and how to prepare in the future. We digitized and uploaded this film from the A/V Geeks 16mm… Internet Archive The Problem of Meaning 1967 · Educational · 29 min The Problem of Meaning Presents music of the Renaissance played by the New York Pro Musica using authentic instruments of the period. Internet Archive WORLD WAR II GERMAN NEWSREEL SIEGE OF SEVASTOPOL SCHWERER GUSTAV GUN 1942 EASTERN FRONT 40884 Newsreel Made for the home market in Germany during WWII, this silent newsreel shows the Siege of Sevastopol. The film starts with a title card indicating that… Internet Archive 1960 ROSE PARADE PASADENA CALIFORNIA WISCONSIN vs. WASHINGTON 79804 Film This 1960s era home movie is a true rarity because it was shot with sync'd sound track. It shows the Rose Parade, including Vice President Richard Nixon as… Internet Archive Erosion Control Circa 1934 1934 · Film Shows many examples of erosion, its causes, effects, and corrections by the CCC. Shows the construction of rock, wooden, and brush-enforced check dams that… Internet Archive Eisenhower: Years of Caution 1979 · Educational Title from data sheet Originally shown in Canada on the television program entitled Portraits of power Director, Jeremy Murray-Brown; journalist, Drew… Internet Archive Priest Imperialist Sculptor Feb 11 2026 2026 · Film Public Talk at 518 Valencia Please join us in closing a year-long case study of the Padre Junipero Serra statue. Jonathan Cordero (Association of Ramaytush… Internet Archive SEMINOLE INDIANS EVERGLADES FLORIDA 1940s EDUCATIONAL MOVIE 70614 Educational This late 1930s, early 1940s educational movie attempts to provide some insight into the Seminole tribe in Florida's Everglades. It contains rare footage of… Internet Archive “ BADLANDS OF SOUTH DAKOTA ” 1940’S HOME MOVIE MT. RUSHMORE CRAZY HORSE MEMORIAL GRAND TETON 43934 Home movie Shot by an unknown American tourist, this 1940s home movie takes viewers on a picturesque tour through Badlands National Park in South Dakota. This area is… Internet Archive " POWER BEHIND THE NATION " 1947 AMERICAN INDUSTRIALIZATION, ELECTRIFICATION & RAILROADS FILM 72042 Film This 1947 patriotic film "Power Behind the Nation" was produced by Warner Bros. and looks at the importance of industrial production and its role in U.S.… Internet Archive Ecology Emerges: Lenny Siegel Feature · 1 h Another interview in the series of Ecology Emerges inquiries, this one with Lenny Siegel long-time activist in the South Bay, director of the Pacific Studies… Internet Archive 1950s TWA PROMO FILM " FLIGHT TO CEYLON " SRI LANKA COLOMBO TRAVELOGUE XD36974 Film This early 1950’s color film presents a travelogue view of Ceylon (Sri Lanka), covering major architectural monuments, exports, and traditional folk arts,… Internet Archive 1971 VIETNAM WAR PROTEST HIPPIE HOME MOVIE 45364 LING Home movie This silent film footage dates to 1971 and shows various scenes related to protests against the Vietnam War. This includes some of the protests known as… Internet Archive 1957 U.S. Navy Aircraft Carrier Strike Force Movie Regulus Missile USS Saratoga 76094 Film This Eisenhower era U.S. Navy film shows the service's capabilities as it entered the Cold War. Featured in the film are the USS Saratoga (CVA-60) and an… Internet Archive WORLD WAR II WAR BONDS FILMS "THE LINE IS BUSY", "HANDS", & MORE 77674 Film We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell… Internet Archive Hold That Silt 33.627 1936 · Film CCC units deter soil erosion in the Los Padres National Forest and build check dams above the Santa Barbara, Calif., reservoir. Reel 1 shows forest scenery,… Internet Archive Free to Choose: 8 -- Who Protects the Worker? Part 2 1979 · Educational Features a discussion among Milton Friedman and guests as follow-up to part 1. Participants include Lynn Williams of the United Steelworkers of America and… Internet Archive STORY OF THOMAS A. EDISON INVENTION OF THE LIGHTBULB & BIOGRAPHY SHORT MOVIE 86684 Film In LET THERE BE LIGHT, a 1940s educational film, the story of Thomas Edison is told. The film opens with the miracle of glittering modern cities and Times… Internet Archive 1920s TOUR OF CAIRO EGYPT NILE RIVER MOSQUES KODAK CINEGRAPH TRAVEL FILM (SILENT) 98164 Film This film, part of the Kodak Cinegraph series, dates to the late 1920s. At the time Kodak was actively releasing short films under the name Cinegraph and… Internet Archive “ONE GOT FAT” BIZARRE 1963 BICYCLE SAFETY EDUCATIONAL FILM DRIVER'S EDUCATION XD47984 Educational This bizarre ‘Interlude’ bicycle safety educational film "One Got Fat" features a group of half-human and half-monkey children. They demonstrate common… Internet Archive 1964 U.S. NAVY PROMOTIONAL FILM "SEAPOWER" with GLENN FORD 21584 Film With a blast of dramatic music to gain a viewer’s attention, waves crash over rocks as the narrator remarks in the opening seconds of this circa 1964 US… Internet Archive " TEMPLES OF INDIA " 1938 HINDUISM, HINDU TEMPLES INDIA TRAVELOGUE MOVIE TAJ MAHAL XD10124 Film This is a 1938 color movie called, Shiva’s Dance of Destruction aka "Temples of India". It is a Paramount picture. It was produced by E.S. and F.W Keller.… Internet Archive Rethinking 1968 2018 · Film Rethinking 1968: What Happened, How Has It Shaped Us? Rarely has the entire globe seen such a far-reaching revolt as the revolutionary upheavals of the… Internet Archive Women Power And The Vote Oct 3 2018 2018 · Film Women, Power, and the Vote: 1911 Suffrage to the 2018 Midterms Given the predictable buzz developing about the 2018 midterm elections and the predictions of a… Internet Archive A New Age for the Old 1979 · Educational Title from data sheet Producers and writers, Dan Klugherz, Arthur Zitrin; commentator, Maggie Kuhn; consultant, David Hackett Fischer Presents a historical… Internet Archive Heavy Load 1986 · Educational Cataloged from contributor's data Camera, Phil Smoot ; editor, Sherwood Jones ; music, William Stevens Adults Tells the story of a compulsive overeater,… Internet Archive Presidio April 10 2021 Walk And Talk 2021 · Talk El Polín Spring and the area around it is a great example of how National Park stewardship has brought history to life. Follow the water through MacArthur… Internet Archive The Perilous Descent 1972 · Educational Discusses the attempt by Yuichito Miura to ski down the side of Japan's Mt. Fuji Internet Archive Filmstrip: "What's in a Name?" 1967 · Educational SOUND FILMSTRIP IS AN AT-RISK MEDIA FORMAT. I am the only person on earth preserving American filmstrips. The media format is largely forgotten and very… Internet Archive THE BIG PICTURE U.S. ARMY TV SHOW "THREE FACES OF EVIL" 1930s EVENTS LEADING TO WWII 55954 Film This episode of the U.S. Army's "The Big Picture" TV show is entitled "Three Faces of Evil". It is one of a series of episodes in the "Army in Action" series… Internet Archive " PHOTOGRAPHING THE SOLAR ECLIPSE " 1966 AERIAL ASTRONOMY SURVEY BOEING NC-135 OBSERVATORY 69674 Film This late 1960s documentary recaps the 1966 solar eclipse expedition off the coast of Brazil and Argentina by members of the Atomic Energy Commission and… Internet Archive “GERMANY AFTER THE COLLAPSE” - GERMAN POST-WORLD WAR II DOCUMENTARY 99275 Documentary This black and white documentary by Wolfgang Kiepenheuser for Ikaros-Film with a script advised by Dr. Kurt Zenter offers a German perspective on the… Internet Archive BATTLE FOR NEW BRITAIN WWII DOCUMENTARY FILM 22274 Documentary We encourage viewers to add comments and, especially, to provide additional information about our videos by adding a comment! See something interesting? Tell… Internet Archive 1970 VIETNAM WAR PROTESTS IN WASHINGTON D.C. MAY 9, 1970 MARCH ON WHITE HOUSE 49614 Film This 16mm film, a home movie shot on May 9-10, 1970, shows a march on the White House. The march took place a week after the Kent State shootings, and 100,000… Internet Archive GERMAN BIOGRAPHY OF FIELD MARSHALL VON HINDENBURG IN WORLD WAR I WORLD WAR ONE GREAT WAR II 74152 Film This rare German silent educational film, released during the 1930s by Hitler's Third Reich, shows the World War I career of Field Marshall von Hindenburg as… Internet Archive SF State Strike 50th Anniv Nov 13 2018 2018 · Film An event celebrating the 50th anniversary of the San Francisco State Strike. A discussion will be initiated by leaders and participants of the Strike, as well… Internet Archive Development of Schemas 1967 · Educational · 35 min Presents a demonstration of the scale for the construction of schemes which is composed of behavioral items utilized by infants in their interactions with… Internet Archive Free to Choose: 6 -- What's Wrong with Our Schools? Part 2 1979 · Educational Features a discussion among Milton Friedman and guests as follow-up to part 1. Participants include Albert Shanker, president of the American Federation of… Internet Archive Oil Shale: Rock That Burns 1975 · Educational Produced by the University of Colorado for the Energy Sources Discusses the utilization of oil shale as an energy source. Although there are an estimated 1.8… Internet Archive " NEVER AGAIN TO BE DENIED" ARAB-ISRAELI 1967 SIX DAY WAR & AFTERMATH DOCUMENTARY 89424 Documentary This rarely seen 1968, black and white film made for the United Jewish Appeal recounts the Six-Day War between Arabs and Israel in 1967 and how it affected… Internet Archive " THE FAMOUS THIRD ARMY " U.S. THIRD ARMY WWII GENERAL GEORGE S PATTON BATTLE OF THE BULGE 74682 Film This tribute to the Third Army in World War II details its 281 days of combat duty, from France and Belgium and into Germany in 1944-45, including the Battle… Internet Archive Fire Extinguishers and Smoke Detectors 1977 · Educational Producer, director, and writer, Leo A. Handel Examines the various types of smoke and heat detectors, stressing the importance of proper maintenance and…