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12 sites to watch films online for free

12 sites to watch films online for free

12 sites to watch films online for free

As much as we all nostalgically long for the days we patronized local video stores and supported independent neighbourhood theaters, one of the really cool thing about the age of the internet has to be watching films online, without having to leave the house or shelling a penny.

Because we, at the NFB, feel confident you would never abandon us for another streaming site (I mean, how could you), we decided to put together and share with you a list of destinations for watching films online. All sites in the following list are free; only one requires you become a member. Watch away friends, and by all means feel free to leave a comment if you see I’ve omitted a landmark. The internet being the beast we know,  it is highly possible I will have.

Popcornflix

This site, currently in beta is in my opinion a better general/Hollywood movie site than veoh and OVGuide, where all I ever find is trailers or movie clips. Here you can watch full films for free. I repeat, full films for free! Also, bonus points for the Bollywood section.

MUBI

MUBI is “an online movie theater where you watch, discover, and discuss auteur cinema”. As opposed to other sites on this list, it requires you become a member before you watch films, but once you do, whoa, it’s like Ali Baba’s Cave in there. If you find yourself wondering what kind of stuff they have, remember it was founded by a group of friends asking themselves “Why can’t you watch In the Mood for Love in a café in Tokyo on your laptop?” and “Why is it so hard to meet people who share the same love for Antonioni?” Fun fact: Scorsese’s a member.

SnagFilms

SnagFilms is a pleasant blue and grey platform offering tons of film to watch for free. From documentaries about Biggie and Tupac to the Secret Life of Cats, there’s a lot to choose from. Most of the content is available to everyone, some of it is restricted to the US. Try your luck.

Internet Archive – Moving Images

Don’t let the 1997-era web graphics fool you, this site is a real eldorado. The Moving Images arm (how retro) of the venerable Internet Archive, this site is a library containing “thousands of digital movies uploaded by Archive users which range from classic full-length films, to daily alternative news broadcasts, to cartoons and concerts.” Many of the videos are also available for free download. To help you browse the goods, the site is separated into sub-collections; you can also check out their blog, which lists interesting titles by topic, such as Little Known Classics You NEED To Watch!, or, perhaps even more interestingly, Black History Month and Famous Banjos. Dig in.

Open Culture

Basically a very neat selection (420 films) of awesomeness for you to watch for free. I don’t know about you, but I’m feeling these categories: Comedy & Drama, Film Noir, Horror & Hitchcock, Westerns & John Wayne, Silent Films, Documentaries and Animation.

Folkstreams

This one’s a bit more of a specialty destination. Catering to your inner cowboy, this site is a “A National Preserve or Documentary Films About American Roots Cultures”, which in essence means a lot of down-south rodeo stuff and Navajo documentaries. Cowgirls: Portraits of American Ranch Women, anyone?

Freedocumentaries.org

For your inner doc-watching politico, everything from Guantanmo, to tobacco companies, to dear lord, we really are destroying the planet, aren’t we?

Movies Found Online

One thing I noticed putting this list together was that a lot of sites that say they offer free streaming actually just embed videos from around the web (Youtube, Google Videos, etc.). At first I thought that was a bit lame, but then I remember how much I despise trying to find anything on Youtube and how precious my life on this earth is, and I thought, hey you know what? These sites are pretty cool! Let them do the work!

Additionally to the ever so aptly named moviesfoundonline.com, here’s a selection of sites that curate free online videos found elsewhere. They’re all kind of the same, but also all kind of different. (You know how that works.) Check them out.

So that’s pretty much it, folks. Happy viewing, and don’t hesitate to comment below if you have a favourite site you’d like to share.

Updated on May 21, 2013:

Since publishing this post, we’ve gotten some suggestions of other sites featuring free content. One such site is another Canadian initiative called DocumentaryStorm.com. According to their About page, they are “dedicated to finding you free, full-length documentaries lovingly chosen from around the web. The main goal of this website is to share knowledge, spread ideas, and have fun.”

Know of any other sites we can add to this list? Please leave the name of the site with a URL in the comment section below.

Add a new comment
  1. lot of websites for movies but i want share with you a new website sockshare4k.com keep it and keep watching full in HD thnks

    sonu,
  2. A great list of movies websites provided in this post. Very nice post written by the author. Thanks

    Sofia,
  3. Many many thanks for making an awesome list of websites that provide watching free movie. I will recommend others to this sites for watching movies without paying.

    http://www.nuttyclips.com

    Parvez,
  4. you should check this site also
    http://hdcurrent.com
    it is having all high quality movies. most of the movies and TV series are in 720p print. it is one of my favorite website

    — albert,
  5. You website is great, Thank for sharing this awesome site to watch movies online, i recommend to others visit this website

  6. Good afternoon . A large selection of films and serials, in good quality can be seen here –     https://solarmovie.tube/       Excellent quality, movies are added pretty quickly, a huge selection of categories. I recommend that I myself have been using it for more than three months. I like everything, I never let you down.

    Mash08,
  7. Hello . I think this site can also be on your list, because it’s very good, I recommend you a normal site http://putlockers.zone/ , now many suffer because of the sites that block, recently found the site and so far everyone is happy .

    Irina,
  8. Thanks for sharing this great post. You have done a great job buy giving us best free movie streaming sites. I wish to read such informative blog posts from your site. I have shared this post in social networking sites.
    Free Movie Streaming Sites. Really very helpfull!!!

  9. Thanks for the collection of online files, I think all are free and no need to sign up and the awesome part in this is all the movies are HD movies

  10. The Important Thing is not just only free.. but The availability of Subtitle,
    I recommend these MovieHDFree.co sites with english subtitles, Thank for shared it to us buddy.

    Sally,
  11. Add solarmovieshd.xyz to the list. With a material design interface and thousands of movies to browse.

    — Rock Rahul,
  12. http://sharksonline.net/
    One of the best movies and series online search engine is ready to work! Watch any movie or series online for free! Each visitor can add own links going to host sites (such us openload/streaminto/vidzi etc.) and earn money by uploading on these services thanks to publishing links on sharksonline! No registration, no hidden costs, no surveys. Tons of results and many hosts!

    — Michtad,
  13. Hi Buddy,

    Thank you so much for sharing the list of websites on which we can watch Bollywood and Hollywood movies without even downloading them.

    I Love to watch movies online and please share the list of those websites who do not charge you for watching movies, we just need an internet connection that’s it.

    Regards
    Jason G. Brown

  14. Watch movies with joy and fun. Personally, I look at your favorite movies on the web site http://viooz.one/ I like to watch movies for free

    — Lola22,
  15. My wife and i love to watch movies an night,

    — R.J.,
  16. There are a lot of sites to watch online. A lot of them try to catch you with a free signup and never offer the real movie. On the other hand, there are sites which really offer the movie so thank you for making a list of the good ones.
    By the way, I would really appreciate it if you could add http://movies123.top to your list 🙂

    — Erika,
  17. Thank you for interesting and informative post! There are really good sites for watching films online, but I want to share with you the best one for me http://putlockers.video/ . It is very simple and comfortable in navigation. Did you use this site?

    — DariaTaria,
  18. Hello guys check out this new entertainement website and watch all your favorite MOVIES, TV-SHOWS, SPORT STREAMS and way more all in HD at https://olympus.live

    nawal,
  19. where they do provide free online movies with great quality but the most inmortant is they also provide link to download the move a best and most win-win situation

  20. best list, I want to add my favourite list just one. I really enjoy watch here tengokmovie.com where they do provide free online movies with great quality but the most inmortant is they also provide link to download the move a best and most win-win situation.. that my 5cent!

  21. How much does your site cost per month, and can a person watch newer movies.

    — david parkinson,
  22. I was looking around the web for an online streaming website where I can watch films and I came across http://mangavost.com I want to share it with you because I was very happy with the quality.

  23. Great Collection of movies websites. But there are also other good websites for movies. I have recently watched the movie from smokeymovies.org in good quality and single click. Thanks for sharing this list.

    Susan,
  24. thank you.this sit is best.you can see. http://www.onlinetelevision.in/
    Watch Online video in onlinetelevision. Here you get poular video song, documentary, watch online cartoons etc. onlinetelevision, tv shows , free movies online , documentary , watch online cartoons

  25. How do I see Wolfe and Montcalm? I played Wolfe in Allen Wargon’s production inf 1957. I’m 94 now

  26. Interesting list but MANY require to subscribe and some are not available in Canada (SnagFilm for instance).

    — M.R. Beauvais,
  27. Thanks Carolyne…you a hot girl.

    — Bob,
  28. Does anyone no any websites which you dont have to download the films you can just watch them? Thanks in advance…..

  29. They have a load of free ones you can watch, and of course all the new releases/back catalogue that you can rent..

  30. Here at Openfilm.com you can watch indie films and videos for free. No need to sign up or even download.

  31. I’d like to plug Openfilm.com, which is an indie film sharing site. Filmmakers can share for free and film lovers can watch for free.

    Brenda,
    1. here is hd movies you can try also this http:www.nobodyknowswebsite.blogspot.com

      — elinda,
    2. Hi Shawn,

      I was looking around the web for an online streaming website where I can watch films and I came across http://full-stream.cc. I want to share it with you because I was very happy with the quality.

      — John,
    3. https://tvmoviestream.me/ >>>Watch Movies TVSeries Online HD Openload – Watch Movies and TV Series Online. No signups, no downloads.

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