The Films That Almost Disappeared

Have you ever been in a conversation where someone mentions a memorable movie scene, and within seconds everyone pulls out their phone to find it? Now imagine not being able to find it. Being that there is some age here at Old Movie Old Man, this has happened more than you would think, especially when it came to all the closing and merging of film production studios, sometime leaving their databases and crucial parts of cinema history harder to access. 

A 1993 report revealed that many “orphan films,” including documentaries, silent films, newsreels, home movies, and independent productions, were at risk. Often housed in small public or nonprofit institutions, these films lacked the funding and expertise needed for proper preservation. The Library of Congress warned that American films were deteriorating faster than they could be saved. 

In response, Congress took action. By 1994, the National Film Preservation Board brought together archivists, scholars, and industry professionals to develop a national strategy. Their plan emphasized improved storage conditions, transferring films to stable formats, expanding public access, and encouraging collaboration. It also called for the creation of a dedicated preservation organization. 

That vision became reality in 1996 with the National Film Preservation Foundation. Established by law (United States Congress, 1996), it was provided funding and tasked with supporting preservation efforts and ensuring public access to America’s film heritage. 

Since beginning operations in 1997, the foundation has focused on saving films unlikely to survive without public support. Through its funding, select films held by nonprofit libraries and archives are preserved to the highest standards, often through the creation of new prints on stable film stock. Because most 20th-century films were made using materials that deteriorate over time, duplicating them onto newer stock remains the gold standard for long-term preservation (Hagley Museum and Library, 2025). Given the high cost of film-to-film preservation, this support is essential for institutions protecting works outside the commercial mainstream. 

Through grants and partnerships, the foundation has helped recover and restore long-lost works, including silent films once thought gone forever (National Film Preservation Foundation, n.d.). By 2024, it had supported preservation projects in all 50 states and made nearly 3,000 culturally significant films accessible, ranging from early works by Thomas Edison to avant-garde animation. As a public charity, it continues to rely on both federal support and private contributions to keep these pieces of history alive. 

So next time you’re chasing down a scene or trying to track down an obscure title, remember that not everything made it this far. What survives does so because someone chose to preserve it. Go a little deeper. Watch something outside the canon. And if that kind of work matters to you, consider supporting the archives and organizations that make it possible. The history of film isn’t just what’s celebrated; it’s what’s been saved.  

Reference List  

Evan. (n.d.). Inspecting film reel [Photograph]. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Inspecting_film_reel.jpg 

Hagley Museum and Library. (2025, September 15). Hagley and the National Film Preservation Foundation partnership continues. https://www.hagley.org/librarynews/news/nfpf-grant-2024 

National Film Preservation Foundation. (n.d.). About the NFPF [Webpage]. https://www.filmpreservation.org/about/about-the-nfpf 

United States Congress. (1996). National Film Preservation Foundation Act, Pub. L. No. 104–285, Title II, 110 Stat. 3382. https://www.congress.gov/104/statute/STATUTE-110/STATUTE-110-Pg3377.pdf