Some free sources for documentaries, educational videos, and public domain motion pictures:
Credit: List and descriptions are based on material from CSU East-Bay Library.
Some "free with ads" streaming sites like Amazon FreeVee, PlutoTV, Tubi, etc., are the main sources of the limited free online access to motion pictures / commercial films. These sites license motion pictures for general viewing and pay for their licenses with advertisements. A tool like JustWatch.com can identify what free, subscription, and purchase options are available, especially for commercial films / motion pictures (tips on using JustWatch).
Using a free site can provide an affordable alternative to licensing a commercial film at $255 per year or requiring students to rent the film.
Recommendations when Relying on Free Commercial Film / Motion Picture sites:
Look for free videos using a site like JustWatch.com. Some examples of sites with free content:
A service like JustWatch.com tracks where specific film/tv/documentary titles are available from major streaming services. These include:
At JustWatch.com, look for a service with Ads underneath the service icon, or go to the full title and choose free options to see what's available.
Note: JustWatch.com listing of free Kanopy access is incorrect for Stan State users. (Kanopy is only free if viewers are members of a public or academic library which can afford unlimited "PDA" access of the entire Kanopy collection. This has become very rare.)