Do you like to watch documentaries but feel you’ve seen everything available on Netflix? They’ve got more than 1200 nonfiction titles available to stream, so that is doubtful, but it’s always great to have other options. Especially free ones. As a tie-in to a recent column at Film School Rejects on places to watch docs online without a subscription, we’ve put together a simple guide to all the best websites and channels for quality nonfiction viewing. Some are no cost at all, some are ad-driven and some require a membership that we find worth the price. Check them out below, and apologies in advance if you find yourself getting nothing else done now that you have so many films at your fingertips.
This list will be updated as we become familiar with other sites we want to recommend.
COMPLETELY FREE
National Film Board of Canada (some must-watch titles: Lonely Boy; Les Raquetteurs)
Doc Alliance Films — Event of the Week [Not all available in North America] (titles change each week)
POV (must-watch title: Only the Young)
British Pathé on YouTube (some must-watch titles: Hindenburg Disaster; Wright Brothers First Flight)
FREE WITH ADS
Docurama (some must-watch titles: Gasland; Hell and Back Again)
Hulu (some must-watch titles: Super Size Me; Head Games)
SUBSCRIPTION
Netflix Watch Instantly — $8.99/month (some must-watch titles: Sherman’s March; The Thin Blue Line)
SundanceNow Doc Club — $4.99/month or $19.99/six months or $29.99/year (some must-watch titles: Sherman’s March; The Thin Blue Line)
Fandor — $10/month or $90/year (some must-watch titles: Lessons of Darkness; Nanook of the North)
Hulu Plus — $7.99/month (some must-watch titles: Grey Gardens; Chronicle of a Summer)
A LA CARTE
Doc Alliance Films [Not all available in North America]
