Spotlight
Our Spotlights gather must-see movies hand-picked by our curators around a particular topic. Explore the current one or browse past Spotlights for unique cross-sections of the global cinematic landscape.

Great filmmakers have to start somewhere.

Halloween: Worst Nightmares
October 19, 2019Stream — and scream — with Fandor this Halloween!

Game Changers
August 23, 2019From daring documentaries to super fun narratives, let these films whip you into shape.

Based on the Book
November 2, 2018It's about to be “lit”! Watch literary adaptations and decide for yourself: book or movie?

Heavy Hitters: Award-Winning Movies
October 5, 2018End the search for a movie to watch! You can't go wrong with a winner.

Set in the City
September 21, 2018Immerse yourself in an urban jungle with movies set in cities scattered across the globe.

Director’s Lens
September 7, 2018There are certain directors whose movies are instantly recognizable.

Script to Screen
August 17, 2018Before anything unfolds on-screen, every movie begins with a script. Join Fandor as we honor excellence in screenwriting!

Date Night
July 20, 2018Next date night, say it with movies! Stay in to watch the trials and tribulations of the romantically challenged with this collection of dramas and comedies.

MIXTAPE
July 6, 2018Plug into Fandor’s compilation of awesome music-driven movies.

Critically Acclaimed
June 15, 2018Feast on a fantastic collection of prestigious movies that have been embraced by audiences and critics alike, earning plenty of praise, applause, accolades, and excellent reviews.

Summer Daze
June 1, 2018Now streaming hot features, docs, and shorts. No SPF required.

Road Trip
May 18, 2018Throw out the map, turn off the GPS, and escape the everyday with this collection of rollicking road movies.

Dark Days
May 4, 2018Get wrapped up in the drama. Now streaming movie that are sure to elicit an emotional response.

Invisible Storyteller
April 20, 2018Watch — and listen — carefully to this collection of movies that use voice-over narration!

LOL Drama
April 6, 2018“Is it okay to laugh?” This month’s spotlight can be found at the quirky intersection of comedy and drama.

Women call "Action!"
March 16, 2018Witness film herstory, and watch exceptional movies by living legends, icons, Oscar contenders, barrier breakers, and the best the film world has to offer.

The envelope, please?
March 2, 2018Oscar® Nominated Movies to stream this awards season.

Fearless Directors
February 16, 2018Watch innovative directors who create movies that matter.

Underdogs
February 2, 2018Underdog or unsung hero? Watch these comedies, dramas, and documentaries and find out.

And the Sundance Winner is...
January 19, 2018Award Winning Sundance movies to binge watch during the Festival.

Visionary Pictures
January 5, 2018Enjoy this Spotlight full of foreign, independent, and classic films.

Naughty and Nice
December 15, 2017Dark films to combat the holiday spirit and sweet films to cozy up with at night.

Debut Feature
December 1, 2017Watch first films by game changing directors.

Family Drama
November 17, 2017Before or after you gather with your loved ones, spend time with some of our favorite dysfunctional families.

"It's Complicated"
November 3, 2017"It's Complicated" for the characters in this month’s Spotlight. With a chance at true love they have their work cut out for them.

SHOCK + SCREAM
October 20, 2017Trick or trick? We can't hold your hand but we can tell you it's only a movie.

Clap Back
October 6, 2017If someone fires at you, you clap back. Watch remarkable stories of revenge.

Blast From The Past
September 1, 2017What is our obsession with the past all about? Watch films set in earlier historical periods.

HAHAHA!
August 1, 2017Watch 18 films that will make you laugh out loud, chuckle, smirk, and giggle. It's summer and we're feeling good.

In the Name of Love
July 14, 2017You do what you have to when it comes to passion. Watch 15 films about matters of the heart.

Life's a Beach
June 30, 2017Get swept away with 21 beach ready movies.

Soundtracks to Live By
June 15, 2017Ever wish you could have someone follow you around with a guitar and score your life?

LGBTQIA+ KIDS
June 1, 2017Happy Pride month! This collection of films is a meditation on childhood, adolescence, first loves and all the rites of passage that come with growing up.

Cannes Titans on Fandor
May 15, 2017For those of us not flying to France, this spotlight is overflowing with the talented films of the directors screening at the 70th annual Cannes Film Festival.

SAD ROMANCE
May 1, 2017Love stories to give you all the feels.

I Love NYC
April 15, 2017In celebration of NYC and to coincide with the Tribeca Film Festival, a collection of films set in the iconic, cinematic city that never sleeps.

30 Is The New 20
April 1, 2017Are your thirties the antithesis of your twenties, or simply their sequel? That is precisely what these characters are trying to figure out.

Twenty-Something
March 15, 2017Adrift, exploring, lost, losing it, finding themselves—these twenty-somethings are all in the same boat, and the waters are choppy.

Mumblecore
March 1, 2017Mumble-huh? You probably know the members of this club, many of who got their start at SXSW.

2017 Oscar® Nominees
February 15, 2017We are proud to share with you the early work of the 89th Academy Award® Oscar® nominees. And the Oscar® goes to...

Love Triangles
February 1, 2017Dear Valentine, Please accept this Spotlight full of love triangles. Be Mine, Fandor.

Directors Featured at Sundance 2017
January 15, 2017Close to our hearts, Sundance calls Park City, Utah, home and independent film its family. Here is a selection of past films by the directors screening at Sundance 2017!

It Girls
January 1, 2017These women are more than just "It Girls;" they are BOSS WOMEN.

Scenesters
December 1, 2016Cheers to the scenesters, hipsters, party kids, Factory members, trendsetters, socialites, and artists who make the underground so desired.

Family Portrait
November 15, 2016Family dynamics are unique. With fall and winter holidays approaching, we’re showcasing some of our more bizarre family portraits.

Polling Party
November 2, 2016It's not polite to talk politics, so watch instead.

Stranded At The Drive-In
October 15, 2016Schlock horror films featuring every creature imaginable: zombies, slime people, giant leeches, ocean monsters, aliens, vampires, ghosts and your boring old human villain, these films will schlock you to tears and have you screaming with laughter.

Weekend Escape
October 1, 2016These characters can get out of town for a weekend escape, but can they really escape from their anxieties, truths, fears, families?

Hall Pass
September 15, 2016A collection of films aiming to educate, instruct, and caution viewers.

Fashion!
September 1, 2016Films about fashion, those who wear it, and those who make it.

LOL Shorts
August 16, 2016The Fandor staff's favorite bite-sized comedies

The Un-Olympics
August 1, 2016In anticipation of the upcoming Olympic Games we've selected docs saluting other – and rather unexpected – forms of accomplishment.

Cats & Dogs
July 15, 2016Felines and canines take center stage in this roundup of films.

The L List
June 15, 2016Films that feature diverse lesbian stories and voices.

QPOC
June 1, 2016Queer People of Color tell their stories.

Cannes Favorites
May 10, 2016Explore Cannes without ever leaving your seat!

World Cinema Atlas
May 2, 2016Around the World in 30 Films.

Mind Trips
April 20, 2016Go down the rabbit hole...

Fandor Essentials
March 17, 2016A selection of Fandor Favorites

Doc Women
March 1, 2016Honor women documentary-makers

Odd Couples
February 17, 2016Opposites do attract.

Love Gone Wrong
February 1, 2016Sometimes cupid fires a wrench instead of an arrow.

Sundance Favorites
January 21, 2016Our members and staff pick their favorites from the Sundance Film Festival

Space Camp
December 7, 2015Bad taste from outer space.

The Auteurs
November 5, 2015Take a tour of the auteurs.

Deep Cuts
October 1, 2015Go behind the music.

Form and Function
September 14, 2015Form follows function.

South American Cinema
September 4, 2015From Brazil to Chile, watch films from the southern continent.

Outside the Law
August 7, 2015Based on true stories...

American Punk
July 21, 2015It started in Cleveland, OH?

Breaking Binary
June 19, 2015Challenge the way you think about gender. Break from binary.

Adventures in Animation
June 2, 2015Let these animated classics, new and old, carry you away.

Asian Cult Cinema
May 19, 2015A psychotronic and surreal trip through some the strangest, silliest and most outrageous things you'll probably ever see.

Throwback NYC
May 5, 2015To the ex-pats, the natives, the transplants and all of the lovers of New York City, this Spotlight is for you.

Down to Earth
April 22, 2015"Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better." - Albert Einstein

Brotherly Love
April 7, 2015Lumière. Safdie. Quay. Maysles. Zellner. Duplass. Ross. Kuchar. This collection of films celebrates cinematic brotherhood.

Beyond Bechdel
March 17, 2015Is it that hard to have two (named) female characters talk to each other about something other than a man?

Women of FIX
March 3, 2015A close up on the feature films by female directors in Fandor's Filmmaker Initiative (FIX), a program designed to connect filmmakers and audiences.

Black American Cinema
February 17, 2015Celebrate Black History Month with films that represent a unique American experience.

Chasing Fame
February 3, 2015These films are ready for their close-up.

Back in Black (and White)
January 20, 2015Clearly, some things never go out of style.

Neo-noir
January 6, 2015Pulp addiction.

Season's Beatings
December 19, 2014Ho Ho Hi-Yah!

Sound Visions
December 5, 2014Narratives grounded in rhythm, moving to a certain melody, driven by a living beat.

Food, Glorious Food
November 19, 2014Enjoy one of the films in this collection all about food. Appetizing, unusual, beautiful, important, necessary food.

Make An Impact
November 4, 2014We can choose to watch films that expand our cultural understanding or to go further and join powerful communities that enact change.

Costumes
September 16, 2014Transforming characters and transcending time.

Workers Unite!
September 1, 2014The achievements of the labor movement and the struggles that remain.

Mexican Cinema
August 19, 2014The most prolific film industry in Latin America.

Hal Hartley
July 8, 2014An unmistakable voice of independent filmmaking.

Vacations!
June 24, 2014Grand voyages, bad voyages and everything between.

LGBTQ
June 10, 2014Pride in film.

Personal Documentary
April 15, 2014These aren’t simply cinematic selfies but rather films committed to full disclosure.

Stranger Than Truth
April 2, 2014Culture jammers, mockumentary makers, propagandists, pranksters and pseudo-pseudo-documentarians.

Avant-garde
March 18, 2014Probing the vanguard fringes of cinema in all their weird, wonderful glory.

Texas
March 4, 2014Don't mess with Texas. Not when the films are this good.

Surrealism
February 18, 2014Never what you may expect, but you’ll know it when you see it.

German Cinema
February 4, 2014A celebration of culture that endures.

Activism and Resistance
January 20, 2014For the ones who weren't content to stand to the side of history.

New Beginnings
January 9, 2014Celebrating fresh starts, big moves and major transitions.

Dysfunctional Families
November 20, 2013Movies to make your own family seem normal.

Night Terrors
October 22, 2013Films that take you through the darkest nights, if you can hold out until dawn.

British Cinema
October 8, 2013The internal oppositions and rapid changes that make England a center for cultural reinvention.

Space
September 23, 2013Films showing how far we've come, and the distance left to travel.

Canada
September 9, 2013A strange brew of idiosyncratic suburban comedies and underdog struggles.

Telluride
August 28, 2013Saluting 40 years of the Telluride Film Festival with a slate of outstanding movies.

Summer Movies
August 8, 2013Sun-soaked indies and steamy foreign films. Perfect viewing for a lazy summer day.

Rockumentaries
July 24, 2013Got a case of the summertime blues? These rock docs will get you back in the groove.

Short Films
June 11, 2013Time constraints? Explore a collection of wonderful films that clock in at under five minutes.

Shakespeare
May 29, 2013Nearly 400 years after his death, film adaptations of William Shakespeare's work continue to entertain.

The San Francisco Int'l Film Festival
April 29, 2013Eclectic picks from the longest-running film festival in the Americas.

The Kings of Silent Comedy
April 16, 2013Charlie, Harold, Buster, Fatty - the silent era gave life to some of the greatest comedic talents of all time.

'70s Cult Films
April 1, 2013Travel back to the 1970s with our celebration of shlock, exploitation and camp movies.

Women Filmmakers
March 19, 2013For Women's History Month, we salute more than a hundred years of women making movies.

SXSW
March 4, 2013The Lone Star State is calling! Saddle up with these standout films from Austin's South by Southwest Film Festival.

Sundance Film Festival
January 2, 2013Fandor shines the spotlight on the Festival that brought indie film to the masses with ten films that premiered in Park City.