Although using video to facilitate language learning is an exceedingly common practice, both for in-class and out-of-class learning, at present the literature exploring the use of authentic videos for intentional language learning is void of a user-friendly framework that educators and learners can refer to when selecting and using authentic videos to optimise language learning. To bridge this gap in the literature, the authors of this paper have drawn from a range of relevant research pertaining to cognitive neuroscience, educational psychology, and second language acquisition, as well as over two decades of combined personal experience as professional language educators, to develop a theoretical framework delineating nine research-based considerations educators and learners should bear in mind when selecting, using, and/ or prescribing authentic videos to facilitate optimal language learning.