WikiFlix – Free streaming service for royalty-free films

WikiFlix is ​​a website on which films without copyright or old film works whose license rights have lapsed are collected and presented with additional information. The site can be used without an account or subscription costs – similar to Wikipedia or the many other “wiki” sites. WikiFlix, whose name may be changed, was launched with the aim of making the over 33.000 WikiData entries on films in the public domain accessible with a central streaming service. So far, over 3.735 videos can be watched on the open source platform. Here you will find some examples and further information about the offer.

WikiFlix collects works from Wiki Commons, Internet Archive and YouTube

The films, short films, documentaries and propaganda materials found on WikiFlix are not all located on a central server to function as a single offering on the platform. Rather, the individual recordings are searched for using the directory of public domain films and the location is then linked or the corresponding player is integrated.

For some films you can use several sources to watch: the Wiki Commons directory belonging to Wikipedia, the Internet Archive or YouTube. Especially with regard to YouTube, it can happen that there are several video sources to choose from because several uploads are listed.

Information about content, cast and more

The structure of WikiFlix is ​​clear and, in addition to various categories, also offers a search function. This can be accessed using the magnifying glass icon at the top right of the page. The categories include the most recently added films, the best rated (or frequently viewed on Wikipedia), films by female directors, book adaptations, films from individual countries, satanic films, vampire films, computer-animated films, YouTube videos, sports films, comedies, science Fiction and so on.

If you open the respective individual page for the film, you will be presented with a preview image or film poster and the playback options as well as a descriptive text and the cast. This way you can find out more about the films, how they were made, the content and so on before you press play. If you click on a person from the cast, you will also get a description text for them as well as the available films in which the actor appears (if there are others on WikiFlix).

Understanding old films as works of their time

Some of the films, shorts and videos available on WikiFlix are not just a few years or decades old. They are approaching their 100th anniversary or have already passed this milestone. Accordingly, they must be understood as contemporary testimonies. WikiFlix is ​​not only an entertainment platform, but also offers some material that requires more context than just streaming the video file. If you look into the category of female filmmakers, you will also find works by Leni Riefenstahl.

Leni Riefenstahl was directly involved in the production of Nazi propaganda of the Third Reich as an author, director, producer, editor, photographer and actress. You can currently find four of her films on WikiFlix, including “Triumph of the Will,” for which the cast includes Adolf Hitler, Heinrich Himmler, Hermann Göring and Joseph Goebbels. The film was commissioned directly by Hitler, which is also explained in the (English) description text. However, there is no unambiguous marking as propaganda material with additional classification; There is still a small taste with this offer.

Watch free royalty-free films on WikiFlix: Here's how!

As described above, you do not need an account or a subscription to use WikiFlix. Just go to the website https://wikiflix.toolforge.org and look for films that interest you. Here I have listed a few examples from different categories:

• Psycho, Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 horror classic
• Metropolis, 1927 expressionist sci-fi classic
• Numerous films by and with Charlie Chaplin
• The night of the living dead, 1968 zombie classic
• Dr. Strangelove, 1964 Cold War satire by Stanley Kubrick

WikiVibes: sister project for audio content

On the WikiFlix help page (here at WikiData) reference is also made to the sister project of the film overview. This is called WikiVibes and is a very similar collecting and streaming project, just for audio content. For example, individual audio files that are used in Wikipedia articles can be called up here - from the meow of the common house cat to the international one. You can look around and listen to what's on offer here: https://wikivibes.toolforge.org.

Johannes Domke

After graduating from high school, Johannes completed an apprenticeship as a business assistant specializing in foreign languages. But then he decided to research and write, which resulted in his independence. For several years he has been working for Sir Apfelot, among others. His articles include product introductions, news, manuals, video games, consoles, and more. He follows Apple keynotes live via stream.