Projectr offers a wide variety of films from critically acclaimed directors about globally relevant issues. It is valuable as a standalone collection or as a complement to other video platforms.
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Projectr is a streaming platform for public and university libraries that features independent, international, documentary, and short films from American and international filmmakers. The films, distributed by Grasshopper Film, Documentary Educational Resources, GOOD DOCS, Kino Lorber, Oscilloscope Laboratories, and Women Make Movies, among other notable distributors, cover a wide array of topics and often spotlight underrepresented voices. While content dates as far back as the 1920s, most titles are from the 2000s. Many are award winners and nominees (Crafter, 2024; Erbland, 2020).
Libraries can subscribe to Projectr through Grasshopper Film. Perpetual access to the core collection is available through Grasshopper Film/Projectr or Alexander Street; life-of-file purchases can be made in a few formats, with access continuing as long as the format is supportable. This review explores Projectr content for academic libraries in the United States directly available through Grasshopper Film.
Projectr expands its offerings on an ongoing basis to meet the needs of both academic and public library users.
The Core Collection currently includes over 500 titles covering interdisciplinary subject areas and global issues (Grasshopper Film, n.d.; Projectr, 2025). Complementing the core collection are special collections like the Straub-Huillet Collection: 48 films by husband-and-wife duo Marie Straub and Daniele Huillet, featuring titles that were unavailable for years and many never released in the United States. New content is added regularly; removal of content is infrequent but may occur due to rights restrictions.
Title lists and MARC records are available via the administrator portal, as are COUNTER usage statistics. Many popular streaming platforms, including Kanopy and Swank, do not currently offer COUNTER usage statistics, making this an important feature. For academic libraries, the platform supports EZProxy and IP authentication. Various Projectr collections are available in OCLC WorldShare for robust electronic resources management.
In addition, many titles include public performance rights (PPRs), that is, legal rights to show a film or video (streaming media) to the public (Queens College Library, 2022). At the time of this publication, 400+ titles from Projectr, most released in the 2000s, include PPRs. The platform includes a list of PPR titles.
Projectr’s search feature allows for easy navigation and browsing by title; users can filter search results by genre, subject, and label. Users can also browse by the categories “New & Recent,” “Subjects,” and “Collections,” facilitating seamless discovery. “New & Recent” is the default, and it further allows the user to sort by title, release date, and year published (that is, made available on the platform), in ascending or descending order.
A search for a film by title—in this example, the 2025 Academy Award Nominee for Best Documentary Feature, Sugarcane—leads directly to the video, as shown in Figure 3.
Below the video, metadata appears, including the description, reviews, and related films, as shown in Figures 4 and 5.
A permalink for each film makes it easier to share in a learning management system.
Projectr is a VPAT (Voluntary Product Accessibility Template) certified platform. All films include some accessibility features, but some films have more than others do. For a typical film, the user can select a visual table of contents and see keyboard shortcut information for improved user experience and accessibility.
Many non-English language films include subtitles in English, which the user cannot control. Some films also include closed captioning, which the user can turn on or off, and interactive transcripts, which allow the viewer to follow along with a timestamped text. Every film on the platform includes a visual table of contents, which allows the user to navigate to its various sections. But the interactive transcript text is also searchable. For example, a user could search for the term “birthday” and retrieve the timestamp on the transcript when “birthday” was mentioned; clicking on the timestamp would then navigate to that part of the video.
Although the lack of closed captioning and interactive transcripts for all videos is a limitation, the overall Projectr layout is clean and intuitive, offering a pleasant user experience.
Projectr offers annual subscriptions, multi-year agreements, and perpetual purchases. Some subscriptions include five life-of-file titles every year at no additional costs. Libraries can also purchase individual titles.
Pricing is customized based on factors including FTE and the size of the institution. There is no set pricing tier.
Trials are available, allowing librarians to investigate the platform’s content and usability. Projectr provides COUNTER usage data after the trial, which can help support collection development decisions.
Libraries that already own Grasshopper titles can include them on their Projectr page to improve discoverability and access. While public performance is limited to selected titles, all Projectr titles are available for classroom use.
Projectr supports IP authentication and EZProxy integration, which allows for unlimited simultaneous users for the duration of the license. Projectr claims that it does not retain customer information.
Users authenticate via their library website before proceeding to the Projectr platform. This is different from other services, like Kanopy, where users select their library from a list and proceed to authenticate directly on the platform. Once users authenticate, they see the films in their own library’s collection.
Staple providers of streaming media for academic libraries include Kanopy, Swank, Docuseek, Films on Demand, and Criterion. Academic streaming platforms typically focus on specific subjects or types of films. Many offer package options, with titles determined based on costs and other factors, so the content available to individual libraries may differ even within the same platform.
Projectr offers many unique titles, including, for example, Academy Award best documentary nominee St. Louis Superman (about an activist in Ferguson, Missouri, after the shooting of Michael Brown, who was subsequently elected to the Missouri House of Representatives) and the Sudu Connexion Collection (a collection of short films about Africa and the African Diaspora) (Lambert, 2023).
Projectr offers a wide variety of films from critically acclaimed directors about globally relevant issues. It nicely complements other popular streaming media collections, adding perspectives from underrepresented voices. Compared to Criterion, Projectr offers a wider scope of contemporary titles and a wider variety of international titles (Erbland, 2020). Similar to Docuseek, Projectr offers content on contemporary social issues but often from different distributors. In instances where both platforms have titles from the same distributor, the titles are usually different.
The collection, which is ever-expanding, has the potential to complement traditional peer-reviewed resources in many research areas, including pandemic studies, peace and conflict, postcolonial studies, gender studies, and criminal justice.
In addition, from a library management perspective, the availability of title lists, including the PPR title list, MARC records, and COUNTER usage statistics is helpful.
The platform would be improved by the inclusion of interactive transcripts for all videos. While users can email Projectr with questions, it would also be helpful for Projectr to include an FAQ page and tutorials to assist users with searching, features available on platforms like Kanopy and Swank. A link to the library’s help desk would also be useful.
Projectr is a rich platform that can stand alone or complement other services. The content will appeal to students, faculty, researchers, and users with keen interest in independent and documentary films. Title lists, MARC records, and a trial subscription can help you assess the value of the available content for your institution.
Crafter, A. (2024). Projectr, the essential streaming platform for the educational community, relaunches to offer an array of innovative new features, with support from Cadmore Media [Press release]. Cadmore Media. https://cadmore.media/blog/projectr-the-essential-streaming-platform-for-the-educational-community-relaunches-to-offer-an-array-of-innovative-new-features-with-support-from-cadmore-media
Erbland, K. (2020). Grasshopper Film launches curated streaming and virtual cinema platform for rare indie titles. IndieWire. https://www.indiewire.com/features/general/grasshopper-film-streaming-virtual-cinema-platform-projectr-1202238474/
Grasshopper Film. (n.d.). Projectr. Grasshopper Film, Retrieved January 31, 2025, from https://store.grasshopperfilm.com/projectr.html?Session_ID=09c1c6aa9d55d16b332f6615868f7654
Lambert, I. (2023). Projectr: A unique streaming platform for library patrons and students. Video Librarian. https://videolibrarian.com/articles/essays/projectr-unique-streaming-platform/
Queens College Library. (2022, June 25). How do I confirm Public Performance Rights (PPR) for a streaming media/video that I would like to use for an event? Queens College Library, LibAnswers. https://qc-cuny.libanswers.com/faq/329206
10.1146/katina-04152025-1
