Ephemeral films

3,313–3,360 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 Race, intelligence, and education. [motion picture] 1974 · Educational · 53 min Produced by the BBC Introduced British psychology professor Hans Eysenck's controversial theory that American blacks are less intelligent than American… Internet Archive The Heart of the Dragon: 9 -- Understanding 1984 · Educational Documentary Anthony Quayle Chinese scientists and technologists are trying to catch up after the disruptions of the Cultural Revolution. With limited… Internet Archive Christo's Valley Curtain 1973 · Educational Examines the construction of the mammoth Valley curtain, a 500-foot-high veil stretched across Rifle Gap, Colo., by the Bulgarian artist Christo Internet Archive History of space travel: Episode 5, Friendship 7 1980 · Film Recounts in detail the first American orbital spaceflight by astronaut John H. Glenn on February 20, 1962, also providing background on Project Mercury and… Internet Archive Oil Well 1975 · Educational First released in the United Kingdom A nontechnical film about the principles of drilling an exploration well, and how a pattern of further wells is used to… Internet Archive Changing Architecture of the Automobile 1967 · Film Stresses the year-by-year changes in the automobile and the reasons behind the changes. Shows color reproductions of old and restored models of cars which… Internet Archive Anansi the Spider 1969 · Educational Narrator, Athmani Magoma Soundtrack, Thomas Wagner, Regis Benoit ; consultant, Joseph Campbell ; camera, Louis Calogero ; animation, Vincent Bell A West… Internet Archive Apartheid: 20th-Century Slavery 1971 · Educational Reveals the policy of apartheid ascribed to by South Africa and portrays how the country's particular character of segregation is threatening world peace.… Internet Archive "Why?" Files: The Case of Physical Fitness Challenge 2005 · Film The Tree House Detectives are eager to win the Presidential Physical Fitness Award, but one of the detectives is not quite up to the challenge. They decide… Internet Archive Fit Kids: Workout for Parents and Children 1997 · Film "Have a great time playing, dancing and singing with Fit Kids, the new way for parents and children to workout together. Fit Kids combines aerobic exercise… Internet Archive Fundamentals Of DIet 1943 · Educational · 10 min Describes the basic types of foods needed in daily diet and explains the contribution made by each type of food to bodybuilding. Depicts examples of… Internet Archive Castle of Cards 1964 · Cartoon Story, Gianni Rodari; animation design, Emanuele Luzzatti; animator and photographer, Giulio Gianini; music, Gianfranco Maselli An animated tale about a… Internet Archive Hidden San Francisco Stop E 23 UFW V DDT 2020 · Film In February 2020, Pluto Press published Hidden San Francisco: The Guide to Lost Landscapes, Unsung Heroes, and Radical Histories by Chris Carlsson. This… Internet Archive Missing Hero 1985 · Educational · 52 min Missing Hero Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for references to this film Traces animal development through study of the baboon, the… Internet Archive Mr. Ludwig's Tropical Dreamland 1980 · Educational · 30 min Mr. Ludwig's Tropical Dreamland A documentary focusing on Daniel Ludwig, an American billionaire who is attempting to transform 3 million acres of Amazon rain… Internet Archive DOPE 111 1989 · Film · Subtitles See scans of liner notes for detailed content. Internet Archive SOVIET SPACE PROGRAM EDUCATIONAL FILM SPUTNIK, LAIKA, GAGARIN, LEONOV SALYUT / SOYUZ ROCKETS 56334 Educational This Soviet era film entitled “Space" was produced at the Kievnauchfilm studio, which produced a significant share of the Soviet Union's educational movies… Internet Archive Herb Mills A Highly Skilled Job 1996 · Film Retired Secretary-Treasure of ILWU Local 10 Herb Mills gives an entertaining and eloquent description of the labor process of longshoring… Internet Archive Sand Castle 1977 · Educational Originally released in Canada Filmed in a tabletop sandbox, shows animated characters as they are created out of sand and as they perform various functions… Internet Archive B-1b, The Short · 13 min U.S. Air Force film about the B-1B Bomber. To license this film and get a higher quality version for broadcast/film purposes, contact A/V Geeks LLC . Internet Archive A Country Auction: The Paul V. Leitzel Estate Sale 1984 · Educational VHS Directed and produced by Robert Aibel, Ben Levin, Chris Musello, and Jay Ruby Documents an American rural tradition, the estate auction. Reveals the… Internet Archive Ansel Adams, Photographer 1958 · Educational · 20 min Records the life and work of Ansel Adams, the American photographer. Describes the photographer's equipment, his home, his interests, and his attitude toward… Internet Archive Journey Through the Solar System, Episode 9: Jupiter Odyssey 1983 · Film Episode 9 of Journey Through the Solar System focuses on planet Jupiter. The program summarizes the Pioneer 10 results and shows pictures of the largest… Internet Archive Pathological Anxiety 1961 · Educational · 27 min A presentation of psychoneurotic conditions. Examines the effect of mental disorder on behavior, using as an illustration the case history of an office worker… Internet Archive Campaign: American Style 1968 · Educational Also issued in b & w Compares a political campaign in America to the advertising techniques used to sell products. Shows how a candidate for county official… Internet Archive Primitive Peoples: The Corroboree 1950 · Educational The Mewite tribe of Australian aborigines conducts a funeral (corroboree) on which the dead are wrapped in bark and laid on a high platform, then the bones… Internet Archive The Adams Chronicles: 4 -- John Adams: Minister to Great Britain 1976 · Educational · 29 min Uses photographs of Egyptian sculpture, artifacts, wall paintings of tombs and temples, and animated sequences in outlining the history of Egypt from 2700… Internet Archive 1960s MEDICAL INSTRUCTIONAL FILM DELIVERY OF TRIPLETS w/ LOW SPINAL ANESTHESIA 51194 Educational Made in the 1950s (or possibly the late 1940s) by Ciba Pharmaceutical Products with the co-operation of the U.S. Air Force and the University of Chicago… Internet Archive Mischief 1973 · Educational · 7 min Animated story about a naughty boy who is punished for his mischief by animals in the yard. Internet Archive Path of the Paddle: Doubles Basic 1977 · Educational Director, writer, editor, Bill Mason; canoeists, Paul Mason, Bill Mason Demonstrates basic paddling strokes and the use of these strokes in various… Internet Archive The Iceberg of Stuttering 1968 · Educational Examines the nature of stuttering, experimental therapy, and practical therapeutic appraoches using monitoring, role-play group psychotherapy, and behavior… Internet Archive Banking In Action 1963 · Film Shows the role of banking in American history and its present-day importance. Discusses the purposes, functions and services of banks and illustrates how… Internet Archive Say No To Strangers 1963 · Film Shows how children meet and correctly cope with situations calling upon them to remember each of the safety rules they have been taught. This film can be… Internet Archive Attack on the Americas 1980 · Film Short suggesting that the Central American conflicts of the era were an indicator of Soviet-Cuban expansionism and a threat to American interests. The piece… Internet Archive Octopus 1961 · Educational Illustrates general motor activities of the octopus, including respiratory movements, probing with tenacles, walking along the bottom, and swimming. Specific… Internet Archive The Other Way. 1975 · Educational · 21 min Also issued as videorecording Producer and writer, John M. Mansfield; narrator, Ian Holm Search Educational Film Journals at Media History Project for… Internet Archive Variety 1960 · Educational An abridged version of Variety, first released in the United States by Paramount Pictures in 1926 Emil Jannings, Lya DePutti, Maly Delschaft Director, E.A.… Internet Archive Rich Man's Medicine, Poor Man's Medicine 1979 · Educational Produced by Gordian Troeller and Marie Claude Deffarge Filmed on location in Gabon, Senegal, and Kenya, this documentary compares traditional native-based… Internet Archive Study Hints 1967 · Educational · 28 min Illustrates good study habits and explains why they are essential to academic success in college. Visits the suburbs of London, Marseilles, and Rotterdam to… Internet Archive The Human Brain: A Dynamic View of Its Structures and Organization 1975 · Educational · 27 min Demonstrates the technique of cinemorphology by which information concerning the structures of the brain can be digitized, fed into a computer, and visualized… Internet Archive The Art of Gerald Gooch 1977 · Educational A documentary on California modern artist Gerald Gooch. Uses animation techniques to lend the illusion of movement to his paintings. Includes anecdotes by the… Internet Archive Duncan Hines Cake Mix Commercial 1980 · Commercial Duncan Hines Cake Mix Commercial Internet Archive Mercury : exploration of a planet 1983 · Film Animation and photography are used to illustrate the flight of Mariner X to Mercury and Venus. To license this film and get a higher quality version for… Internet Archive Noel Nutels 1977 · Educational In Portuguese with English subtitles Noel Nutels was a physician of Jewish immigrant origins who dedicated himself to the problems of health and preventive… Internet Archive Filmstrip: "How To Be A Good Landlord To Your Teeth" 1973 · 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 GERMAN GUN CAMERA FOOTAGE LUFTWAFFE FIGHTER ACES VS. SOVIET FIGHTERS & B-17 BOMBER AIRCRAFT 22914 Film Intended to train German fighter pilots, this silent WWII gun camera film shows Luftwaffe kills of Allied bomber aircraft. Almost all German and Allied… Internet Archive Activity Group Therapy 1950 · Film Training film made for mental health and social workers. Activity Group Therapy explores the development of socially maladjusted boys, 10 and 11 years old,… Internet Archive Social Insects: The Honeybee 1960 · Educational Illustration du mode de vie coloniale et en castes d'une classe d'insectes sociaux: les abeilles. Observation de l'adaptation particulière des diverses…