Ephemeral films

1,009–1,056 of 19,488 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 Filmstrip: "Kafka" 1972 · 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 Power Of Plants, The 1951 · Film Uses time-lapse photography to show the physical power of plants in their efforts to receive sunlight and fulfill their growth. Experiments show how plant… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "The Twelve Days of Chistmas" 1963 · 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 Farm (documentary) Documentary A 47-minute documentary about San Francisco's "The Farm," which was a remarkable urban laboratory and creative space, in addition to being a farm with… Internet Archive Fallout: When And How To Protect Yourself 1959 · Film Illustrates the cause and effects of radioactive fallout. Describes preparations which should be made to safeguard lives and protect food and water supplies.… Internet Archive Dr. Leaky and The Dawn of Man 1967 · Educational · 50 min Dr, Leakey and his wife toiled for years to prove the theory that mankind first lived in Africa. He finally found remains of a man many thousand of years… Internet Archive Destination America: 1--Old World, New World 1976 · Educational · 22 min · Subtitles Destination America: 1-- Old World - New World Reel 2 Reel 1 available here An introductory overview to a history of European immigration alternates formal… Internet Archive Mole and the Rocket 1973 · Educational · 9 min Tells a story about a little mole who is carried by a rocket to a deserted island in the middle of the ocean. Shows how the sea animals help repair the ruined… Internet Archive AIDS 86 DEC Brothers 1986 · Film · Subtitles AIDS, Brothers, Before Stonewall, Different from Others, Nova: Can AIDS be stopped?, Vaccine Research, Virology, AIDS Privacy, AIDS Cover Story Magazine. See… Internet Archive International Toys In Space 2004 · Film In 2002, the crew of Expedition 5 tested 16 international toys and sports activities while on board the space station. Their experiments followed toy… Internet Archive Balloons: aggression and destruction games 1941 · Educational · 17 min · Subtitles Demostrates a projective technique for the study of aggression and destruction in young children, showing how differently two children between four and five… Internet Archive Nina Serrano Summer Of Love 2016 · Film Nina Serrano, longtime activist and poet, describes living in San Francisco during the 1965-67 period, raising her children in what was in fact a fairly… Internet Archive Meaning Of Adolescence 1953 · Film An overview of the social, emotional, mental and physical changes which occur in the adolescent with suggestions on how adults can help. This film can be… Internet Archive The Happy Lion 1990 · Educational Based on the book of the same title by Louise Fatio Artwork, Roger Duvoisin An animated film which tells the story of what happened when the friendly lion… Internet Archive Christmas Visitor 1962 · Cartoon SUMMARY: An animated story of the night before Christmas when a red-faced Santa drives his reindeer through the sky, comes down the chimney and eats the meal… Internet Archive DOPE 260 1996 · Film · Subtitles PROP 215 Wins!, Dennis busted, Valerie Corral, Firing Line, Hong Kong, Mars Landing, War on Drugs, Flower Therapy raided, J. Morgan. See scans of liner notes… Internet Archive The Farm 1990 · Short An excerpt from Farmcore, a 45-minute documentary about The Farm, the remarkable rural oasis under the freeways in San Francisco from 1974-1986, an autonomous… Internet Archive Tut the Boy King 1977 · Educational · 50 min Tut the Boy King Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film Summary Offers a view of 55 of the treasures from the… Internet Archive DOPE 073 1988 · Film · Subtitles Express special on crack, teen dealers, Bush knew about Noriega's drugs, court martial Navy guy with AIDS never told partner, yacht seized for one roach,… Internet Archive Ansel Adams, Photographer 1958 · Film Records the life and work of Ansel Adams. Dwells on his equipment, home, interests, and his attitude toward art, photography and life. This film can be… Internet Archive The Man Who Loved the Stars 1981 · Educational · 59 min A documentary drama about Benjamin Banneker, the eighteenth-century, Black tobacco farmer, who taught himself mathematics, astronomy, and clockmaking, became… Internet Archive Atom Goes To Sea, The 1954 · Cartoon · 11 min Explains how an atomic powered submarine operates. Includes scenes at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory in Schenectady and the submarine reactor test site at… Internet Archive DOPE 030 1987 · Film · Subtitles Koop on AIDS, Free needles, Operation Want (drug fugitives), Julie Newmar, Grace Jones,Julian Bond, Nancy Reagan & Clint Eastwood say NO, AIDS drugs, AIDS… Internet Archive Johnny Cash, Ridin' the Rails 1982 · Educational · 25 min · Subtitles Title from data sheet Originally shown on television Issued also as videorecording Singer Johnny Cash rides the rails to tell, through narration and song,… Internet Archive Turn off pollution 1971 · Educational · 11 min · Subtitles Producer, Alan Spencer Elementary grade children take active steps to eliminate pollution from their community and in the process they identify pollution's… Internet Archive Binary Bit Patterns 1969 · Educational Shows a Persian-like pattern optically printed from digital computer-generated images Internet Archive Maria Callas: Hamburg Concert 1962 1962 · Film Maria Callas was the first singer since the great Caruso to become a household name. Her flexibility of voice, coupled with an extraordinary dramatic talent… Internet Archive El Salvador: Another Vietnam 1981 · Educational · 54 min This film examines the civil war in El Salvador in light of the Reagan administration's decision to "draw the line" against "Communist interference" in… Internet Archive DOPE 278 1997 · Film · Subtitles Deneuve smoke Opium, A&E Prohibition, Elvis meets Nixon, Princess Diana dead, Mother Teresa, HBO "Flashback", PEP Study, Science Fiction. See scans of liner… Internet Archive Recycling And Survival 2011 · Film Oscar Grande, organizer with PODER, describes growing up in the Excelsior and how his family was so frugal that recycling all sorts of things was just common… Internet Archive Portrait Of A City : Detroit 1961 · Film Celebratory film from Ford commemorating Detroit’s 250th anniversary. Portrait of a City reenacts scenes from the city’s history and presents a tour of its… Internet Archive Bakhtiari Migration: The Sheep Must Live 1973 · Educational Summary: Many of the Bakhtiari people of southern Iran are nomads who are dependent on their flocks of sheep, goats and cattle. Every year the needs of their… Internet Archive DOPE 021 1987 · Film · Subtitles AZT approved, speed in Japan, Cusco & Machu Picchu, Medi-Cal, Neal Armstrong, Business of AIDS, AIDS educ, teen smoking, AIDS vaccine development,… Internet Archive DOPE 033 1987 · Film · Subtitles Summer of Love, Diggers, Athletes doping, Trial of Chicago 8, Medical staff refuses to treat AIDS, Gallo, Miami Vice, See scans of liner notes for detailed… Internet Archive Palladio, the architect and his influence in America 1980 · Educational · 25 min · Subtitles Palladio, the architect and his influence in America Reel 2 Reel 1 available here Writer, James S. Ackerman; cinematography, John Terry Survey of the works of… Internet Archive Mental Hospital 1953 · Film Case study documenting a patient’s treatment for paranoid schizophrenia. Made for health professionals, Mental Hospital shows daily life at the state… Internet Archive The Wave 1981 · Educational Bruce Davison, Lori Lethin, John Putch Based on a short story by Ron Jones A broadcast of the program ABC theater for young Americans, October 4, 1981 by… Internet Archive Crystals 1958 · Film Explains how crystals are formed and why they are shaped as they are. Considers their actual growth under a microscope, how they may be grown, and the… Internet Archive The World of Piri Thomas 1968 · Educational · 1 h Producer, Dick McCutchen; director, Gordon Parks; editor, Michael Misch Piri Thomas, a painter, poet, author, ex-con, and ex-junkie, describes the life of a… Internet Archive What's the presidency all about? 1973 · Educational · 24 min · Subtitles Narrated by Dan Rather Examines the office of the presidency, some of the men who have filled it, their major responsibilities, and the system of checks and… Internet Archive In case of fire. 1959 · Educational · 19 min · Subtitles With teacher's guide Demonstrates that lessons learned from fire drills can save lives in fire emergencies at school, at home, and at a crowded theatre. Shows… Internet Archive Reflection, refraction, dispersion 1961 · Educational · 17 min · Subtitles Circular and straight pulses are reflected from various shaped barriers. Periodic straight waves are refracted at various angles. Mention is made of Snell's… Internet Archive Ricky Raccoon Shows The Way 1978 · Educational · 14 min Shows kindergarten to third grade students the correct and safe ways to get to and from school. A lesson in how to correctly respond to traffic lights and… Internet Archive AIDS 90 12 1990 · Film · Subtitles AIDS, Scarlet Harlot, AZT Patent, CBS 48 Hours: Healthcare Workers "Fatal Secret," Women and AIDS, IVDU, Lifestories, December 1990- January 1991. See scans… Internet Archive Lands End train ride 1900 · Film Sped-up trip eastward along the old Sutro Steam railroad from Cliff house back towards the then-empty Golden Gate. Internet Archive Sharing With Neighbors - filmstrip 1956 · Film Little Steve learns that when neighbors share, the entire neighborhood is benefits. This filmstrip is part of the "Neighborhood Community Series". Steve and… Internet Archive Aquarium Wonderland 1955 · Film A boy of intermediate grade age sets up a home aquarium and observes how fish breathe, hear, feel, smell and swim. Close-ups, microscopic photography and… Internet Archive West Portal 1917 · Film West Portal tunnel under construction, Portola Drive cutting through empty surrounding hillsides.