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Cinema subject guide
Film & Cinema Encyclopedias and Indexes
When you are getting started on your topic, explore key figures (directors, actors et cetera) and concepts in specialized encyclopedias.
Descriptions and synopsis of over 125,000 films with international from the 1900s to the present, and biographical information covering approximately 800,000 personalities. Includes feature films, Hollywood entertainment shorts, documentaries and TV movies.
Can provide brief introductions, and extensive lists of important sources in many subject areas within Cinema and Media Studies and more.
Primary sources: trade magazines & newspapers
- Entertainment Industry Magazine Archive - covers small selelction of film trade journals
- Media History Digital Archive open access tool covering a selection of early cinema magazines
- Gallica - digital library of French and francophone culture
- American newspapers (historical) - New York Times | Wall Street Journal | Washington Post
- Times Digital Archive - covers London Times from 1785 to 1985
- Google News Archive - full text of open access selection of historical newspapers
- Film Reviews - indexes and listings of references to reviews, etc.
Primary sources: Canada / Québec
- CBCA Complete - interdisciplinary Canadian magazines and newspapers
- CPI.Q Canadian Periodical Index - interdisciplinary Canadian magazines
- Erudit - Full-text Quebec journals
- Eureka - Quebec newspapers
- Repere - Quebec magazines (some fulltext)
- Canadian Film & Video/Film et video canadiens - bibliography covering books, articles, etc from early twentieth century
- Globe & Mail Canada's Heritage from 1844 - full-page archive of The Globe from June 1844 to The Globe & Mail until December 2003
- Toronto Star Historical - full page scans covers 1894 - 2013
- Revues et journaux québécois - numerisés par BAnQ
Primary Sources: Film
- Medial - Feature films, shorts, documentaries and experimental videos acquired by Concordia Library. Log in with your netname and password
- Audio Ciné Films - Over 800 films in English and French, from the studios and producers including: Walt Disney, Touchstone, Hollywood Pictures, Pixar Animation Studios, Sony, Columbia, Tristar, Screen Gems, Universal Studios Canada (MCA), MGM, United Artists
- Criterion on Demand - Over 1,300 feature films in English and French. Includes 1920 classics, new releases, foreign films, literary adaptations, documentaries, animated titles, and independent features. Producers include: Paramount, DreamWorks, Mongrel, Sony Pictures Classics, Alliance, Miramax, Warner Brothers, Lionsgate.
- Kanopy Documentaries Collection - Streaming films covering a wide range of disciplines. Due to budgetary limitations, films must be individually requested. Faculty requests for documentaries for teaching and research purposes are generally granted. Note: This resource may not work properly with Chrome. If you experience issues, please try another browser.
- Online video databases - A full list of online video databases that Concordia University Library subscribes to.
- Free online videos - Examples of websites that offer to the general public to online videos in a variety of subjects.
Help Resources
Use the How to find videos guide
See demonstrations (Youtube): Searching for Film and Video using Sofia
Databases
- Film & Television Literature Index - cross-search with Art Full Text & Communication & Mass Media Complete
- Screen Studies Collection (ProQuest) searches FIAF International Index to Film Periodicals, Film Index International
- Performing Arts Periodicals Database - coverage of some film journals.
- JSTOR - interdisciplinary full-text database covering a small selection of film journals.
- MLA International Bibliography - interdisciplinary database including film resources.
- Google Scholar - interdisciplinary coverage, including books, journal articles, and more. NOTE: For optimal access, go to Settings - Library links, then search for "Concordia University Libraries"
Books
Theses & dissertations
Websites
- Times (London) Digital Archive provides the complete text of articles for the London Times.
- Google News Archive can be searched for 100s of newspaper reviews - NOTE: some articles are available as pay per view. Check CLUES to see if newspaper is available at Concordia Library
- Times (London) Digital Archive provides the complete text of articles for the London Times.
- Google News Archive can be searched for 100s of newspaper reviews - NOTE: some articles are available as pay per view. Check CLUES to see if newspaper is available at Concordia Library
Hélène Brousseau
Subject Librarian for Cinema, Contemporary Dance, Theatre and Music
- 514-848-2424 ext. 7783
- helene.brousseau@concordia.ca
Contact your subject librarian for reference assistance, for library instruction, or to recommend books.
Visual Collections Repository (VCR)
VCR’s teaching and research film collection has been migrated to the Library's discovery tool Sofia. Through the Library’s online catalog, you can access over 21,000 titles on DVD, 3,100 on Blu-ray discs (including 3D and UHD 4K), and a diverse collection of VHS tapes and laserdiscs, as well as streaming options.
Here are some tools to help you with your searches:
Visit the Video Capsules: Searching for Video in Sofia
Use the How to find videos Library Guide
Book a viewing station at the VCR
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