ReelQuery is a search tool for archival film and video. It lets you search several public archives at once, so you can find rare footage, newsreels, government films, space exploration material and classic cinema in one place, then go straight to the original source.
What we do
Archival footage is spread across many institutions, each with its own website and its own way of searching. ReelQuery brings those collections together in a single search. Type what you’re looking for, and ReelQuery shows matching titles, thumbnails and descriptions from the archives, which you can sort, filter by source, and open.
- Search across multiple archives at once.
- Filter results by source and sort them by relevance or by year.
- Open any result to see more detail, or go straight to the original item at the archive.
ReelQuery is useful for filmmakers, researchers, educators, journalists, students and anyone curious about history.
Our sources
ReelQuery searches these archives and collections:
- Internet Archive: digitized films, newsreels, documentaries and television recordings contributed by libraries, organizations and individuals.
- NASA: space, aeronautics and science footage.
- Library of Congress: motion pictures and newsreels from American history and culture.
- U.S. National Archives (NARA): federal government and military films and other moving-image records.
- Smithsonian Open Access: video from the Smithsonian’s museums, libraries and archives.
- Europeana: European cultural heritage from libraries, museums and archives.
- DVIDS: U.S. military video from the Defense Visual Information Distribution Service.
See the Archive Sources page for more detail on each one.
Our approach
We focus on real footage and real history. ReelQuery is a search tool, not a library: we don’t host or distribute the videos, and we don’t own them. Each result points back to the archive that holds it.
Rights vary from item to item. Some material is in the public domain, some is openly licensed, and some is protected by copyright or has other restrictions. ReelQuery shows the rights information an archive provides when there is some, but we don’t verify it, and finding something here doesn’t mean you’re free to reuse it. Before you use anything, check the original item page and the archive’s terms. Our Copyright & Rights page explains how.
ReelQuery uses the National Archives Catalog API. It is not endorsed or certified by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), and none of the other archives we search endorses or certifies ReelQuery.
Support ReelQuery
ReelQuery is free to use. If it helps you, you can support the site to help cover hosting and development.
Get in touch
Questions, corrections or feedback? Email contact@reelquery.com or use the contact page.
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Real footage. Real history.