Film Platform rolls out AI search engine to put documentaries in the academic spotlight

Film Discovery, described as the first AI-powered search engine for academic film, aims to improve how universities and schools match documentaries to teaching objectives.

Film Platform, a streaming service for educational institutions, has launched Film Discovery, an AI-powered search engine that recommends documentaries based on academic goals. The tool is positioned as the first of its kind in the academic film sector and was tested in a pilot with students, faculty, and librarians.

AI system designed for teaching contexts

Film Discovery uses large language model infrastructure trained on internal and external data to provide recommendations tailored to user prompts. Each recommendation includes an explanation of how the film connects to specified learning outcomes. Film Platform says this differs from conventional academic search systems, which are designed for text-based resources and have limited functionality for video content.

Elinor Kowarsky, Co-founder and Co-CEO at Film Platform, says: “Film Platform is leveraging technology to address one of today’s biggest challenges: the overwhelming volume of content available through streaming. Existing search engines, designed with limited capabilities, make finding the right film a time-consuming task. As a result, educators are searching less – just as their students increasingly demand more visual and engaging methods of learning.”

In a pilot program with universities, more than 80 percent of participants reported a positive experience using Film Discovery, and 80 percent found the recommendations “relevant and clear.” Annie Roney, Co-founder at Film Platform, says, “This is a total game changer for film in academia. Film Discovery understands nuance, and serves up search results that provide the user with context and relevance. No more best guessing at key words; inform the engine of what concepts you are trying to teach and it will suggest films to help you teach them.”

Positioning in the academic streaming market

Film Platform is an educational streaming service with a catalog of more than 1,300 documentaries from over 50 global content partners. The service is used by more than 1,000 institutions worldwide, including Harvard University, Stanford University, and Oxford University.

Dr. Will Mari, Associate Professor of Media History and Media Law at Louisiana State University, took part in the pilot. He says, “Film Discovery is a refreshing new entry in a challenging space – especially with finding niche documentaries to help educators with their teaching. I can recommend it to my colleagues and hope to see this platform available more widely soon.”

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