Recent innovations in vacuum are deposition have resulted in the development of the filtered are source as a deposition tool for a range of technologically important materials. The vacuum arc was recognized early on as a potentially useful source of energetic, ionized material and a practical high rate method for depositing thin films with bulk properties and the deposition of new materials. The inherent problem of microdroplet contamination was overcome by several approaches, the toroidal magnetic duct being the most prevalent. The present state-of-the-art of filtered are deposition is discussed in terms of the current understanding of the emitted fluxes, the properties of the materials deposited by these devices and new applications.