We’re thrilled to unveil the creativity of our top three winners and three honorable mentions in this year’s Public Domain Day Film Remix Contest. These remarkable films not only reimagined and transformed public domain works but also demonstrated the boundless potential of remixing creative works to create something new.
Watch the winning entries & honorable mentions below. Renowned film archivist Rick Prelinger returned to lead the jury, comprised of film professionals and enthusiasts including Simone Elias, Lara Gabrielle, BZ Petroff, and Theo Unkrich, offering insightful commentary on each selection and its standout qualities.
Explore all 140+ submissions at the 2025 Public Domain Day Film Remix Contest collection at the Internet Archive.
First Place: “When I Leave the World Behind” by Queline Meadows
https://archive.org/embed/when_i_leave_the_world_behind_remix
From Rick: The jury was deeply impressed by Queline Meadows’s inspired mix of movies, images, music and text woven into a subtle and emotionally affecting video expressing a strong sense of nostalgia and the irretrievable passage of time.
Second Place: “The Archive Boogie” by Samantha Close
https://archive.org/embed/the-archive-boogie
1929 was a great year for the movies! Filmmaker Samantha Close expresses both the breadth of 1929’s production and the eternal bounty of the public domain, using images from 1929’s films and public domain images from elsewhere and elsewhen.
Third Place: “THE SITUATIONSHIP” by Samara Meyer
https://archive.org/embed/the-situationship
Meyer’s crowdpleasing film features the daring, dazzling “It Girl,” Clara Bow, who lights up the screen in more ways than one in this Sapphic love story.
Honorable Mention – History: “Moving Pictures Aren’t What They Used to Be” by Jeremy Floyd
https://archive.org/embed/moving-pictures-arent-what-they-used-to-be
Jeremy Floyd’s enjoyable piece pays tribute to an uninhibited period of filmmaking — Hollywood before the passage of the restrictive Production Code, when movies were filled with roguish suggestion and undisguised violence.
Honorable Mention – Home Movies: “Hoffman’s Honeymoon” by William Webb
https://archive.org/embed/hoffmanns-honeymoon-1
Of all film genres, home movies are the most numerous yet the least seen and known. Webb’s engaging video brings them into the foreground, adding voices from dramatic films in the public domain, to build a goofy but endearing narrative.
Honorable Mention – Live Action: “The Wayback Machine” by DIEGO DIAZ & CAN SARK
https://archive.org/embed/wayback-machine-4k
Diaz and Sark’s film is an audacious and yes, dopey exploration of the essential greatness of Internet Archive and the dread near-infinity of copyright.
These were amazing! A true testament to what can be done when content is available to all.