These sources are free and available at the listed locations as of 4/19/2022. Many options for watching free online documentaries contain ads, but some do not.
Sections include:
Before watching, you may want to read about how to watch a film analytically.
The online world is always changing, so always double check the cost and copyright of the materials you engage with.
These are materials accessed through MU. Scroll down for general online documentary resources.
Video Use
Videos in MU licensed databases (e.g. those you can only access with your MU credentials, etc.) may be restricted to:
Videos cannot be used, without permission from the vendor, for:
Provides access to films ;with an emphasis on culture and related areas. Covers regions around the world and includes interviews, previously unreleased raw footage, field notes, study guides, interviews with filmmakers, contemporaneous footage and photographs and more.
Provides online access to western classical music , world music, and jazz recordings.
(Requires MU ID) is an internationally focused database provides access to over 35,000 advertisements in all media, including audio and video. AdForum also provides access to advertising agency information, news, and other information related to the advertising industry.Journalism Library documentary collection on DVD and VHS - physical copies can be found within the Journalism Library A/V collection. Not available to watch online.
American Memory - American Memory provides free and open online access to written and spoken words, sound recordings, still and moving images, prints, maps, and sheet music that document the American experience.
Cinema of the World - a comprehensive library of arthouse, cult classic, experimental and rare movies from all over the world.
DocumentaryStorm - free documentary films for educational and personal enjoyment purposes. Viewing requires sign up with an email and birth date. To view videos, scroll down the page until you see the video player.
DocumentaryTube - Watch and Submit. The twenty-two categories in which these documentaries are divided include art, health, science, travel, history, and several others.
DocuSeek - An academic streaming source for social issues and documentary film. Pages feature embedded video and information like distributer, run time, publish date, genre, audience, etc.
Field of Vision- Field of Vision is a filmmaker-driven visual journalism film unit co-created by Laura Poitras, AJ Schnack and Charlotte Cook that pairs filmmakers with developing and ongoing stories around the globe. You can watch the resulting films here.
Folkstreams - "A national preserve of American folklore films produced by independent filmmakers. These documentaries focus on the culture, struggles, and arts of unnoticed Americans from many different kinds of communities... Their films have unusual subjects, odd lengths, and talkers who do not speak 'broadcast English.' ...Many of the films are linked to significant published research. The mission of Folkstreams is to preserve these films and their records of these worlds and make them available to the widest possible audience." Collections are free and primarily historical.
HBO Documentaries - hosts both paid and free documentaries. To watch the free documentaries you must supply your email and date of birth.
Moving Images University of South Carolina - The University of South Carolina's Moving Image Research Collections (MIRC) preserves films and videos produced outside the American feature film industry to make them available to present and future audiences. Collections are free and historical. Collections of particular interest to journalism students include, but are not limited to:
PBS Documentaries - hosts both paid and free documentaries. Free documentaries contain ads.
Stanford's M.F.A. Documentary Film Projects
Vimeo Documentaries - includes full documentaries, single chapters, or extended trailers, over 3 minutes in length.
Record
An Oral History Primer - UC Santa Cruz
Principles and Best Practices for Oral Histories
Human Subjects and IRB Review Oral Histories
Access
Oral Histories of the American South - "Oral Histories of the American South" is a three-year project to select, digitize and make available 500 oral history interviews gathered by the Southern Oral History Program (SOHP).
State Historical Society Oral Histories - With over 4,800 interviews, the oral history collection continues to actively produce and collect oral history interviews that represent Missouri’s culture and history as well as collections featuring other areas. Access transcripts and make research requests, learn about the ethics and process for collection and citation of oral histories, and learn about restrictions of use.
Use
This handout from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will help you figure out how to use oral histories in essays. It will give you suggestions for how to prepare for and conduct oral history interviews and help you determine, based on your context and purpose, how to integrate raw material into your essay.
Some Videos May Have Creative Commons Licenses Attached
Fee-Based Stock Video Collection
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