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Archive films

Public-domain newsreels and documentary footage

Free newsreels and documentary films from the Internet Archive and Wikimedia Commons: wartime, public information and news footage, with year.

Clips
14 clips
Sources
from 1 source
Cleared for commercial use
14 cleared for commercial use
Editorial use only
14 editorial-only
Direct downloads
14 with direct download
Updated

Search live for “newsreel”Use it from code or an agent

14 clips

Picked automatically from a live search of 23 sites and refreshed daily. Hover a clip to preview it; posters and previews load straight from the source, never through this site. Each clip belongs to its creator: check its licence on the source page before you publish.

News as it was filmed

Newsreels were the cinema’s news bulletins from the 1910s to the 1960s: wars and elections, inventions and disasters, sport and fashion. Alongside them, government public-information and documentary films recorded factories, farms, cities and wartime life. Much of this footage is now in the public domain, and the Internet Archive and Wikimedia Commons make it searchable.

Before you use it

Look at the year, the producer and who stated the licence: footage made by the US government is public domain, while an uploader’s public-domain mark on a commercial newsreel needs checking. Expect standard-definition, 4:3, black-and-white transfers with title cards; pillarbox them in a 16:9 edit. Every clip here carries the editorial flag, because real people appear without releases.

Questions

Are newsreels public domain?
Some are: US government productions were never copyrighted, and many commercial newsreels were never renewed. Others are still owned by their producers' successors. Rely on the source's statement and treat uploader-asserted licences as unverified.
Can I use newsreel footage in an ad?
Be careful. The people shown never signed releases, and real events can be sensitive. Newsreels are flagged editorial: ideal for documentaries, history channels and education.

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