This is a list of rediscovered films that, once thought lost, have since been discovered, in whole or in part. See List of incomplete or partially lost films and List of rediscovered film footage for films that are not wholly lost.
For a film that was not released before it was rediscovered, the year is when it was produced. The year is also italicized.
The films are listed by year, then alphabetically within each year.
Silent films Many films of the silent era have been lost. The Library of Congress estimates 75% of all silent films are lost forever. About 10,919 American silent films were produced, but only 2,749 of them still exist in some complete form, either as an original American 35 mm version, a foreign release, or as a lower-quality copy.
1890s Year Film Director Cast Notes Ref 1896 Défense d'afficher Georges Méliès Georges Méliès This French film was recovered in 2004. It is the oldest lost film to be rediscovered. The House of the DevilThe film was presumed lost until 1988, when a copy was found in the New Zealand Film Archive. 1897Gugusse and the AutomatonUnexpectedly identified in Library of Congress donation in February 2026.1898Something Good – Negro KissWilliam SeligSaint Suttle, Gertie BrownThe nitrate film negative of this short was rediscovered at an estate sale in Louisiana by an archivist from the University of Southern California. It is believed to contain the earliest on-screen kiss involving African Americans and is noted for departing from the prevalent and purely stereotypical presentation of racist caricature in popular culture at the time.1899MomijigariShibata TsunekichiOnoe Kikugorō V, Ichikawa Danjūrō IXA three-minute print was discovered around 1939 by the film historian Junichiro Tanaka, who bought the print for 50 yen; it was later acquired by the National Film Archive of Japan. Around 2006, a six-minute print was donated to the National Film Archive of Japan by film historian Motoki Yoshihiko.
1900s Year Film Director Cast Notes Ref 1900 Sherlock Holmes Baffled Arthur Marvin The names of the two actors are unknown. Running only 30 seconds, this is the first recorded detective film and the first to feature Sherlock Holmes. A paper copy was identified in 1968 in the Library of Congress Paper Print archive by Michael Pointer, a historian of Sherlock Holmes films. It was transferred to 16 mm film in the Library of Congress collection. 1901 The Death of Poor Joe George Albert Smith Laura Bayley Made in Great Britain and lost since 1954, the film was rediscovered in 2012 and is the oldest surviving film that features a Charles Dickens character. The Triple-Headed Lady Georges Méliès Short film rediscovered as part of the Brinton Entertainment traveling circuit of early films and magic lantern slides salvaged in Iowa in 1981, but not identified until 2015 and featured in the 2017 documentary Saving Brinton. 1904 A Wager Between Two Magicians, or Jealous of Myself Georges Méliès Two minute-long film discovered in 2016 at the Czech National Film Archive under a donated reel with a different name. The Wonderful Rose-Tree Georges Méliès Short film rediscovered as part of the Brinton Entertainment traveling circuit of early films and magic lantern slides salvaged in Iowa in 1981, but not identified until 2017 upon release of the documentary Saving Brinton. 1904 or1906 Living London orThe Streets of London Charles Urban One reel (10 minutes) was found of this documentary of London life. The National Film and Sound Archive of Australia (where the fragment was found) states it was identified by British film scholar Ian Christie as being from Living London, but Urban's website claims that this is from the later documentary. 1907 Katsudō Shashin Unknown The oldest animated film in Japan, lasting only three seconds. The piece of film was discovered in Kyoto on July 31, 2005. 1908 Bobby's Kodak Wallace McCutcheon Edward Dillon, Robert Harron A print was discovered in the Library of Congress in 2016. Hôtel électrique (El hotel eléctrico) Segundo de Chomón Segundo de Chomón, Julienne Mathieu This French film is in the Filmoteca Española film archive.
1910s Year Film Director Cast Notes Ref1910 Frankenstein J. Searle Dawley Charles Ogle A print was bought by a film collector in the 1950s, who was not aware of its rarity until decades later. United States Il Guanto(The Glove) Luigi Maggi Alberto Capozzi, Mary Cleo Tarlarini, Mario Voller-Buzzi A print bought by a private collector from a recycling centre. United Kingdom. (2015) 1911 The Adventures of PinocchioGiulio AntamoroFerdinand GuillaumeIn 1994, the original negative was rediscovered at Cineteca Italiana in Milan. In 2002, Time reported that a 30-minute version had been rediscovered and restored. Karađorđe Ilija Stanojević-Čiča The first Serbian feature film, thought lost since 1928. Material from this movie was found in the Austrian Film Archives in 2003. PicturelandThomas H. InceIsabel Rea King BaggotThe film was rediscovered by a researcher, Robert Hoskin, in Australia who received a print from Japan in 2015 and personally restored it over the course of one year. When the film was thought to be lost it was said that Mary Pickford played a role in it, but after a print was found it became clear that she was not in the film at all. The part that was thought to have been played by her was actually played by Isabel Rea. Their First Misunderstanding Thomas H. Ince, George Loane Tucker Mary Pickford The first film that credited Pickford by name. Found in 2006 in a New Hampshire barn. Thomas H. Ince, George Loane Tucker1912 A Fool and His Money Alice Guy-Blaché William Haines United States From the Manger to the Cross Sidney Olcott Robert Henderson-Bland The film disappeared from cinema screens for decades until Reverend Brian Hession, vicar of Holy Trinity Church in Walton, Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, went on a quest to the US to find a copy of the film for re-issue in Britain. Although initially disappointed, he eventually discovered a set of negatives after searching in the vaults and cellars of old film concerns. Hession added a musical sound track and spoken commentary, and From the Manger to the Cross was re-released in 1938.From the Manger to the Cross (1912). BFI. Retrieved 11 February 2016. A Lucky Holdup Dorothy Gibson It was found by David Navone in the early 2000s in a sea chest that he bought at a California flea market and was professionally restored by the American Film Institute. It is the only surviving film featuring actress Dorothy Gibson. In Nacht und Eis Mime Misu The third Titanic movie was presumed lost around 1914, but was found in the possession of a private film collector in Germany in 1998. Richard III André Calmettes, James Keane Robert Gemp, Frederick Warde The first known full-length William Shakespeare film was thought to be lost, until in 1996 Oregon projectionist William Buffum donated his copy to the American Film Institute. En Stærkere magt Hjalmar Davidsen, Eduard Schnedler-Sørensen Valda Valkyrien Preserved by the Danish Film Institute. 1913Laenatud naene(Borrowed Wife)Alfred Sällik, Paul PinnaFound in Gosfilmofond Archive (Moscow) in 2014, this comedy is probably the oldest surviving Estonian feature film. L'enfant de Paris Léonce Perret Léonce Perret, Louis Leubas, Maurice Lagrenée The film was found by Henri Langlois. Os Óculos do VovôFrancisco SantosFrancisco Santos, Mário Ferreira dos SantosOldest Brazilian fiction film. Rediscovered by researcher Antônio Jesus Pfeil in 1970/80s. Four minutes of the 15-minute feature are preserved.Poor Jake's DemiseAllen CurtisLon Chaney, Louise Fazenda Chaney's first credited role. A fragment was discovered in 2006 among several hundred other reels of film in an English collection. Sealed Hearts Ralph Ince Eugene O’Brien UK collector had tinted 35mm print (50 minute British version). A Sister to Carmen Charles Gaskill Helen Gardner Silver nitrate positive print recovered in 1996. When Lincoln Paid Francis Ford Francis Ford Was found in 2006 in a barn in New Hampshire that was going to be demolished.1914 The Active Life of Dolly of the Dailies Walter Edwin Mary Fuller, Yale Boss Discovered in 2009 in the New Zealand Film Archive. The Girl Stage Driver Webster Cullison Norbert A. Myles, Edna Payne, Will E. Sheerer An incomplete 35mm positive print was discovered in 2009 in the New Zealand Film Archive. Der Hund von Baskerville (The Hound of the Baskervilles) Rudolf Meinert First known adaptation of the Sherlock Holmes book The Hound of the Baskervilles. The Oath of the Sword Frank Shaw Considered the earliest known Asian American film production, it was recently discovered at the George Eastman Museum by scholar Denise Khor. The Oubliette Charles Giblyn Murdock MacQuarrie, Pauline Bush, Lon Chaney, Doc Crane, Chester Withey, Millard K. Wilson, Frank Lanning, Agnes Vernon In the summer of 1983, a nitrate print in excellent condition was discovered in Georgia. A couple rebuilding the steps of their front porch uncovered all three reels of the film, still in their metal cans. Pirates of the Plains Otis Thayer Discovered in 1993 in a private collection in Antigo, Wisconsin. It is thought to be the only film made by the Colorado Motion Picture Company to have survived. Salomy Jane William Nigh, Lucius Henderson Beatriz Michelena, House Peters Complete nitrate copy found in Australia in 1996. The Stain Frank Powell Edward José, Theda Bara A print of the film was discovered in Australia in the 1990s. A Thief Catcher Charlie Chaplin (bit part) A print was discovered in 2010 at a Michigan antique sale. Won in a Closet Mabel Normand Mabel Normand Discovered in 2009 in the New Zealand Film Archive. 1915