Film Collection

The Yale Film Archive, an Associate of the International Federation of Film Archives (FIAF), has a collection of more than 8,000 35mm and 16mm titles, including both print and pre-print holdings. A wide variety of genres and national cinemas are represented in the collection, from Hollywood features to experimental shorts, from documentaries to Bollywood musicals. The collection spans more than 120 years of cinema history, and includes films from around the globe as well as a number of films made by Yale alumni and about Yale University. Founded in 1982 as the Film Study Center, the Film Archive traces its roots to film collections at Yale dating back to the 1960s, including the historic archives of a number of prominent film collectors. Read more about collections within the larger archive on our Notable Holdings page, and learn about our preservation activities on our Preserved Films page.

The holdings of the Film Archive are included in the Yale University Library’s catalog. To search the 35mm and 16mm print collection, click here.

Films in the Yale Film Archive collection are available for screenings for Yale classes as well as for loans to qualified non-profit institutions. Those interested in screening, borrowing, or otherwise accessing material in the collection must contact Managing Archivist Brian Meacham via email early in the planning process.

For information on DVD, Blu-ray, and VHS holdings, visit our Video Collection page.

Yale Public Screening Partnerships

Do you have an idea for a public film screening or series at Yale? Are you interested in presenting films from the Yale Film Archive's collection on campus? Visit our Yale Public Screening Partnerships page to learn how.