Research Guides: Film Studies: Research Overview

New Streaming Database: Docuseek

Introducing Docuseek

Docuseek streams essential independent, social-issue and environmental films to colleges, universities and K-12 schools, providing exclusive access to content from renowned leaders in documentary film distribution, including Icarus Films, Women Make Movies, and Kartemquin Films.

black and white still from The Five Demands film

New Releases in Documentary

THE FIVE DEMANDS is a riveting story about the student strike that changed the face of higher education forever. In April 1969, a small group of Black and Puerto Rican students shut down the City College of New York, an elite public university located in the heart of Harlem. Through archival footage and modern-day interviews, we follow the students’ struggle against the institutional racism that, for over a century, had shut out people of color from this and other public universities.

black and white still from The Battle of Chile documentary

Documentary Classics

Docuseek includes classic documentaries like THE BATTLE OF CHILE (1975, Icarus Films). 'Not only the best film about Allende and the coup d'etat, but among the best documentary films ever made, changing our concepts of political documentary within a framework accessible to the widest audience.' -Time Out Film Guide

stack of VHS tapes showing handwritten labels

Women Make Movies

Part of the Women Make Movies collection, THE ARCHIVETTES (2018) explores the fascinating history of The Lesbian Herstory Archives. Founded in the 1970s in a New York City apartment, The Lesbian Herstory Archives is now the world’s largest collection of materials by and about lesbians. For more than 40 years, the all-volunteer organization has striven to combat lesbian invisibility by literally rescuing history from the trash.

Featured Database Package - ProQuest Arts Premium

The library has a subscription to ProQuest Arts Premium, which includes Art/Design/Architecture, Music/Performing Arts, and Screen Studies collections. Search them together or individually using the links below.

FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals Database
This database is an essential reference work for any film researcher and contains a diverse range of specialist content: the International Index to Film Periodicals contains over 500,000 article citations from more than 345 periodicals. It offers in-depth coverage of the world's foremost academic and popular film journals, many of which are seamlessly linked to a growing library of film journals.
Film Index International
Produced in collaboration with the British Film Institute (bfi), Film Index International is based on the Summary of Film and Television (SIFT) database collated by the bfi over the past 70 years. Film Index International provides in-depth indexing of over 125,000 films - from the first silent movies to the latest blockbusters - and biographical information for more than 800,000 personalities. Its rich content also includes coverage of international film awards and prizes as well as searchable plot summaries and full cast and crew lists.
AFI Catalog
Since 1968, the American Film Institute as cataloged every American motion picture either produced in the United States or sponsored and financed by American companies as an aid to the preservation of the American national film heritage. To date, the Catalog has comprehensive coverage of feature films from 1911-1974 (that are 40 minutes or longer in duration, or 4 reels or longer in length) with additional records covering selected major films from 1975 onwards, along with over 17,000 short films (those less than 40 minutes or 4 reels) from the first era of filmmaking, 1893–1910.

Finding DVDs in the library

The library's DVD collection is held behind the Circulation Desk on the 1st floor and is not accessible to patrons. Use the spreadsheet here to browse our collection; be sure to click the link to OneSearch to check availability before visiting the library. You can also search for DVDs by title directly in OneSearch.

DVD and Video List
A spreadsheet export from the library catalog listing films on DVD or VHS held by the Graduate Center library.

General Library Resources

Graduate Center Library Website
Starting point for finding books, articles, journals, databases, interlibrary loan, electronic reference, and more

OneSearch
OneSearch combines many initial searches into one interface: it includes print books from all CUNY libraries; Graduate Center ebooks; a massive index of articles from journals, magazines, and newspapers; Graduate Center course reserves; dissertations at CUNY and beyond; and unique digital content.

Interlibrary Loan
Need an article from a journal not at the Graduate Center? Need a book that not available from any CUNY library? Go here to submit an interlibrary loan request.
24/7 E-mail and Chat Reference
Use this service to ask questions at any time. Email questions will be answered by Graduate Center librarians. Chat questions may be answered by librarians at other institutions.

Visiting Other Libraries

Other CUNY Libraries
All CUNY students and faculty have access to all CUNY libraries and may check out books at all but CUNY Law. Reference books, special collections, audiovisual materials, and electronic resources may be used only within these libraries.
Metro Referral Cards
Ask at the reference desk on the second floor of the Graduate Center library for one-time-only passes to New York City area libraries, beyond CUNY.
If items are available at a CUNY library, you would use CLICs (Inter-library borrowing) or visit that library in person; Metro Cards are used for one-time to access beyond CUNY's collections. For longer access, see MaRLI above.
MaRLI (Manhattan Research Library Initiative)
This research initiative allows selected researchers access and circulation privileges at Columbia University, New York University, and New York Public Library's research libraries.

Film and Television Archives in New York City

Anthology Film Archives
Anthology holds invaluable collections of avant-garde films and videos, housing, protecting, and preserving works on 35mm, 16mm, and Regular- and Super-8mm film, and on various video formats, as well as film stills and audio recordings.
MoMA Film Study Center
The Celeste Bartos International Film Study Center offers screening facilities for viewing films from the Museum’s collection; a large selection of screenplays and dialogue continuities; extensive files of reviews, articles, and program notes; reference books; special collections; film indexes; and current periodicals.
Moving Image and Recorded Sound Archive (NYPL Schomburg)
The Moving Image and Recorded Sound (MIRS) Division documents the experiences of peoples of African descent, as they have been captured via audiovisual technology. The MIRS Division collections encompass a variety of formats including motion picture film (released prints and outtakes), video recordings, and music, and spoken arts recordings in several formats.
Museum of the Moving Image
Museum of the Moving Image houses artifacts from every stage of producing, promoting, and exhibiting motion pictures, television, and digital media—more than 130,000 objects in all. Holdings include licensed merchandise, technical apparatus, still photographs, production design materials, costumes, fan magazines, publicity materials, and video and computer games.
NYPL Reserve Film and Video Collection
The Reserve Film and Video Collection includes more than 6,000 16mm films, 5,000 VHS videocassettes, and 2,000 DVDs. The New York Public Library began acquiring films in 1952, and established a film department at the Donnell Library in 1958. The library began adding videos to the collection in the 1970s. Since the collection's inception, its primary focus has been independently produced works. Careful selection practices have resulted in a collection that is impressive for its scope and depth and its overall high quality. The collection's holdings provide a very broad spectrum of both subject matter and filmmaking styles and genres. It is unique among American public libraries, and is comparable to archives held within major American museums and universities. Particular strengths of the collection are its political, social, and cultural documentaries; experimental films; video art; animation; short fictional works; and films and videos created by and for children and young adults.

Featured Collection

Media History Digital Library
The Media History Digital Library is a non-profit initiative, led by Eric Hoyt at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, dedicated to digitizing historic books and magazines about film, broadcasting, and recorded sound for broad public access.