Did You Know the Library Lets You Stream 30,000+ Free Movies?

This is so damn cool. Kanopy is an on-demand video platform that allows users to experience a curated collection of more than 30,000 of the world’s best films. All you need is a library card!

I wrote about Kanopy when it first launched in 2016 but my buddy Sayre reminded me about it the other night and I figured it was important to hip you to it again. In a time when huge corporate giants like Netflix and Amazon don’t even have to pay taxes, it’s great to know that you can still stream incredible movies should you decide to boycott them. It’s also a fantastic resource for people who want to be able to watch movies at home but can’t really afford other streaming services.

From art house films to documentaries to classic movies, it seems Kanopy has something for everyone. Here are a few more cool things about it:

– Kanopy, can be accessed from leading devices and platforms, including Roku, iOS and Android and is launching on Apple TV in the next few weeks.

– Kanopy highlights local filmmakers, locally set films and films that are relevant to today’s issues. A number of films about the San Francisco bay area, or featuring bay area filmmakers are available on Kanopy and can be found here. Highlights include: Forever, Chinatown, We Were Here, and The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill.

– The San Francisco Film Society Director of Programming, Rachel Rosen, has also curated a list of her top title recommendations: The Five Obstructions, The General, Girlhood, I Am Not Your Negro, Le Quattro, Volta, Pather Panchali, The Rules of the Game, 17 Girls, Silent Light, The Story of Film, Strange Little Cat, Tokyo Story.

So there you go! Watch some incredible films for free. All you need is a library card, and if you don’t have one, stop into one of the 28 branches today! If you’re not in SF, you can enter your library card and see if your library has Kanopy too!