'Treasure trove' of free films available through Ottawa library's streaming service

CBC Radio's Ottawa Morningfilm reviewer Tom McSorley is urginglibrary users in the capital to take advantage of the freeaccess they have to some of the world'sbestfilms.

Ottawa Public Library cardholders canstream dozens of contemporary and classic films online including those that are part of the prestigious CriterionCollectionthrough a service called Kanopy.

"It features, arguably, the greatest assortment of international art cinema under one roof, " McSorley told Ottawa Morninghost HallieCotnam.

"As a film geek ... I applaud the library for setting it up."

Some of the of hundreds of titles offered on the streaming service include:

• GilloPontecorvo'sThe Battle of Algiers
• IngmarBergman'sThe Seventh Seal
• David Lynch'sEraserhead
• PedroAlmodovar'sTie Me Up! Tie Me Down!
• FedericoFellini's8

The Ottawa Public Library's website also offers a host of other free resources online, including Curio, which gives people access to thousands ofvideo and audio streams from the CBC and Radio-Canada, andHoopla, another film streaming service that boastsmore than 200,000 films.

Cardholders will have to register online for most of these services, using a valid library card number. McSorley said it'll beworth the time.

"You can stream free music as well, so it really is a treasure trove," he said.