# 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. 14 clips from 1 sources (Internet Archive 14), updated 2026-10-28. Picked from a live search and refreshed daily. - Same search in the browser: https://video.shep.bot/search?q=newsreel&category=archive.newsreel - Same search over the API: `curl "https://video.shep.bot/v1/search?q=newsreel&category=archive.newsreel"` - Details, files and the credit line: `GET https://video.shep.bot/v1/clips/{id}` with an id from the table below. - Licence verdicts: "Commercial use OK" (with or without credit) is cleared for commercial videos; anything else must be checked or is non-commercial. "(editorial)" means people, insignia or brands appear without releases: not for ads. See https://video.shep.bot/docs/licences.md - Video is never re-hosted: posters, previews and downloads come straight from the source sites. ## 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. ## Clips | Clip | id | What | Source | Licence | Commercial use | Direct download | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Universal-International Newsreel](https://archive.org/details/tmp_05001) | `internetarchive:tmp_05001` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 1964 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [[Knife-Thrower and Children]](https://archive.org/details/KnifeThr1950) | `internetarchive:KnifeThr1950` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 1:03, 1950 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [News Magazine of the Screen, The (Vol. 7, Issue 3)](https://archive.org/details/NewsMaga00_7) | `internetarchive:NewsMaga00_7` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 21:41, 1956 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [[Bongo Boards]](https://archive.org/details/BongoBoa1950) | `internetarchive:BongoBoa1950` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 0:32 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [News Magazine of the Screen, The (1957)](https://archive.org/details/NewsMaga1957) | `internetarchive:NewsMaga1957` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 21:17, 1957 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [[First Private Atom Power Plant Opens]](https://archive.org/details/FirstPri1957) | `internetarchive:FirstPri1957` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 0:54, 1957 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [[Largest Radio Transmitter Is Dedicated]](https://archive.org/details/LargestR1950) | `internetarchive:LargestR1950` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 0:53, 1950 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [Pathe News Christmas with Their Cameramen and Crews 'Round the World](https://archive.org/details/PatheNew1950) | `internetarchive:PatheNew1950` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 4:37, 1950 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [[Babies on Parade]](https://archive.org/details/Babieson1950) | `internetarchive:Babieson1950` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 1:06, 1950 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [[Soldier With Big Feet]](https://archive.org/details/SoldierW1950) | `internetarchive:SoldierW1950` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 1:06, 1950 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [Chevrolet Leader News (Vol. 3, No. 2)](https://archive.org/details/Chevrole1937_2) | `internetarchive:Chevrole1937_2` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 1937 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [San Francisco World's Fair](https://archive.org/details/san_francisco_worlds_fair) | `internetarchive:san_francisco_worlds_fair` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [[News Magazine of the Screen, December 1950] (Part I)](https://archive.org/details/NewsMaga1950_3) | `internetarchive:NewsMaga1950_3` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 14:31, 1950 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | | [[Dream Hospital]](https://archive.org/details/DreamHos1950) | `internetarchive:DreamHos1950` | Newsreels & documentary, Black & white, 1:25, 1950 | Internet Archive | Public domain | Commercial use OK (editorial) | yes | ## 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. ## Related collections - [Prelinger and public-domain archive films](https://video.shep.bot/footage/prelinger-archive-films.md): Free archive films: Prelinger educational, industrial and advertising films, home movies and early cinema, from the Internet Archive and Wikimedia Commons. - [Free city footage: skylines, streets and traffic](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-city-footage.md): Free city stock video: skylines, streets, traffic and night lights from open archives, with editorial flags where people and brands appear without releases. - [Rocket launch footage: liftoffs and missions](https://video.shep.bot/footage/rocket-launch-footage.md): Free rocket launch videos from NASA and open archives: liftoffs, engine close-ups, tracking shots and historic launches, with credit lines and partner warnings. - [Free slow-motion footage: high frame rate clips](https://video.shep.bot/footage/free-slow-motion-footage.md): Free slow-motion stock video: water, launches, animals and motion shot at high frame rates, with the fps shown so you know how far each clip can be slowed down. --- Source: https://video.shep.bot/footage/public-domain-newsreels