Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is SnagFilms?
2. Who's behind the curtain?
3. What does the name "SnagFilms" mean?
4. What film should I watch?
5. How do I search for a film?
6. How often do you add new films?
7. How does my queue work?
8. I can't get video to play or hear audio, what should I do?
9. How do I share content?
10. Can I download your movies?
11. I'm outside the US, why can't I watch a film in my country?
12. Is closed captioning available?
13. Can I play a movie in an auditorium, for a classroom or a watch party?
14. I'm an independent filmmaker. How do I make my film available on SnagFilms?
15. How do I suggest a movie to add to your site?
16. How do I delete my profile?
17. What information does SnagFilms collect about me?
18. Why is there advertising on the site?
19. How does SnagFilms make money?
20. Who should I contact about advertising?
21. I'm having an issue with the iPad application, can you help?
22. Why aren't all of your movies available on iPad, Roku, Boxee and other platforms?
23. What is Filmanthropy?
24. Why can't I find more big-name movies?

1. 1. What is SnagFilms?

   Founded in 2008, our mission is to bring the world of independent film to broader audiences everywhere. SnagFilms.com offers thousands of great independent movies and documentaries for free. Our films entertain and inform, engage and inspire, satisfy every taste, encourage discovery, and create community. We offer free online streaming and viewing via a wide range of devices.

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2. 2. Who's behind the curtain?

   We were founded as a part of AOL and Moviefone and now operate as an independent business. You can learn more about our team here.

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3. 3. What does the name "SnagFilms" mean?

   We believe movie watching should be a social and shared experience. We've designed our site to give you the ability to "snag" any film and embed it on your own site. That means if you have your own website or blog, you can take a film from our site and share it with your site's visitors.

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4. 4. What film should I watch?

   We all have our favorite movies and favorite genres, so we recommend starting there. You can click on Browse Films to view a list of all categories available on SnagFilms. Another way to discover movies is through Channels, where movies are grouped based on production companies and filmmakers. If you enjoyed one movie by a certain filmmaker or production company, you can browse their other films! Also, check out the MovieMatcher on the front page, which will show you movies by category and filtered by recency and popularity.

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5. 5. How do I search for a film?

   In the top right-hand corner of all pages is a search box. Our search engine looks through the entire library, looking at film titles, topics, and individual summaries to find films that match your search entry. You can also filter your results by topic, channel, length and genre on the left.

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6. 6. How often do you add new films?

   New films are added constantly. You can get updates on new releases by subscribing to our weekly email newsletter or rss feed. We'll let you know about new arrivals on Facebook and Twitter too, so be sure to follow us there.

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7. 7. How does my queue work?

   By default, we will save your place in any film in case you want to watch it later. Since we have more films than you could possibly watch at once, you can make a list of movies to watch later. Just click + Add to Queue. There's no limit to how many titles you can have in your queue and you have the ability to delete films. Creating a queue is easy and all you need is a Facebook login to get started.

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8. 8. I can't get video to play or hear audio, what should I do?

   Oh no! We're sorry about that. We're here to help. Please click here to Report an Issue. Fill out the appropriate form with as many details as possible, and we'll get back to you ASAP to help resolve your problem.

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9. 9. How do I share content?

   Because SnagFilms is dedicated to making films a social and shared experience, we provide you with a number of tools that allow you to share our content with the rest of the world. On the bottom of the player and at the top of each page, we provide links for you to share content through e-mail, embedding, Twitter, Facebook, as well as a number of other internet and social media outlets.

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10. 10. Can I download your movies?

    No, you can not download the film as a file to your computer. However, in most cases, you can buy the DVD or download it via iTunes or Amazon. Just click 'Buy This Film' above the player.

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11. 11. I'm outside the US, why can't I watch a film in my country?

    Many of our titles have viewing restrictions and are only available in the U.S. at the request of the filmmaker or movie distributor. You can browse our library of films available internationally by clicking here and selecting "available worldwide" at the bottom of the left sidebar.

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12. 12. Is closed captioning available?

    Unfortunately, we do not have closed-captioning data for the majority of our titles at this time. That said, we are dedicating to making closed captioning available on our content in the future. We want SnagFilms to be available to everyone. We appreciate your patience and support as we work to make this happen.

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13. 13. Can I play a movie in an auditorium, for a classroom or a watch party?

    SnagFilms doesn't have the rights to stream films in front of large audiences. You should reach out to the distributor or filmmaker directly to ask for permission to display a film publicly.

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14. 14. I'm an independent filmmaker. How do I make my film available on SnagFilms?

    We are always looking for great new films to add to our library. Please head on over to our Submit a Film page for instructions and the criteria we consider.

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15. 15. How do I suggest a movie to add to your site?

    Please click Send Feedback at the bottom of the page and tell us what movie(s) you want us to add. Remember, we're partial to documentaries and indie films -- we love "Thor" and "The Help" too, but have no immediate plans to add Hollywood blockbusters to our collection.

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16. 16. How do I delete my profile?

    To delete your account, log in through Facebook and go to your account settings. There is a delete account button at the bottom. This action is permanent; all of your information and activity will be deleted from the site. (Note: Any comments you made with your Facebook account on SnagFilms will remain unless you delete them individually.)

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17. 17. What information does SnagFilms collect about me?

    We value your privacy. You can learn about our information gathering methods here.

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18. 18. Why is there advertising on the site?

    One of our biggest priorities at SnagFilms is to offer full-length films to our viewers for free. In order to make that happen - and to pay filmmakers and maintain free streaming - we use ads to support our revenue and costs.

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19. 19. How does SnagFilms make money?

    The advertising you see in the films on SnagFilms serves a purpose. We split the revenue from those ads with our filmmakers. By watching a short advertisement, you are directly supporting the filmmaker.

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20. 20. Who should I contact about advertising?

    Thank you for your interest in advertising with us. Click on the Advertise link at the bottom of the page for more info.

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21. 21. I'm having an issue with the iPad application, can you help?

    Thanks for downloading SnagFilms for iPad. Email us at feedback@snagfilms.com and we'll help you with any issues.

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22. 22. Why aren't all of your movies available on iPad, Roku, Boxee and other platforms?

    Currently, only selected films are available on iPad, Roku, Boxee and other platforms. But we've got the elves in our workshop working overtime to get 100% of our online library on all of our awesome platforms. Thank you for your patience.

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23. 23. What is Filmanthropy?

    SnagFilms Founder and Chairman Ted Leonsis coined the term "Filmanthropy" to describe the power of documentary films to inspire, enlighten, and serve as agents for change. SnagFilms is committed to promoting Filmanthropy. We tie every documentary in our library to a related charitable effort and make it easy to learn more and get involved. You can learn more about Filmanthropy here.

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24. 24. Why can't I find more big-name movies?

    Bigger isn’t always better. You can watch Hollywood blockbusters on a variety of services. Come to SnagFilms for movies that are every bit as entertaining, but reflect the passions of their independent filmmakers, not the financially driven calculations of big studios. Plus, it's all free!

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