Documentary Film
Finder (Yes, it also locates fictional
films.)
If you have reached this point, we hope you have tried all
the obvious sources such as searching this site, Amazon.com, Google, and the top search engines. With this done, here are
our recommended next steps.
1. Search the Internet
Movie Database - If the film you are searching for is not listed here it is
unlikely the film was ever released on video. Additionally, having the correct
spelling, year released, and director can make it more likely that your search will be
successful. This information should be included when contacting any of the merchants
listed below.
2. Search Ebay Many
video collectors and dealers put their available titles up for auction on Ebay. Because of
the number of people who list products on Ebay, the site has consistently been the best
place to look for rare and out of date videos.
3. Search the rare video sites Go to these
sites in the order they are listed and use their search mechanisms. These sites have
extensive inventories of out of print and difficult to find titles, and have the most
extensive listings we have come across. Some pages are over 100KBs in size and thus
may take some time to load, be patient. The listing of these retailers should not be
viewed as a guarantee of the quality of their services. Documentary Films .Net is
not affiliated with any of these merchants.
Alphabetical Doc Listings For VHS and for DVD from Direct Video -- Based out of Canada, but with a
extensive listing. Ships to U.S..
VHS Alphabetical Listing
from Cinema Classics -- Highly Recommended
Critic's Choice Video --
Highly Recommended
4. Search DocuSeek - DocuSeek is a
search site for independent, documentary, educational and social issue video and films.
They list over a thousand films. The downside is that distributors they list sell
mainly to educational institutions which will show the video over and over, so they charge
over $200 for most videos and over $50 to rent a video. They do have an excellent
search function which allows you to search through the collections of its member
distributors in very specific ways. For example, while typical search engines allow you to
search for keywords, DocuSeek allows you to search for videos by grade level, length,
filmmaker, and other characteristics in addition to searching for keywords. A
definite film finder resource.
5. Search The
PBS Shop - Unlike their programming, this site isn't very user friendly, but
many independent documentaries have been shown on PBS, and PBS is authorized to sell many
of them. If you use their search box and don't find anything, try using their
alphabetical listings as well. Most people have not found the search function very
reliable. If the program you are searching for might have been part of a series look
under possible series names names as well. They have a list of the series on the
site.
6. Check For Movies to see
if it is available for rental near you (or anywhere for that matter).
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