In most discourse surrounding lost media, the film-side of things tends to be pretty scarce. Mostly silent films, and by mostly silent films I basically just mean London After Midnight. And yes, anyone deep into the chasm that is lost media discussion has their own holy grails that might just tragically be gone forever - The Way of All Flesh, The Patriot, 4 Devils, maybe even the complete cuts of Greed or Freaks - I don't consider these to be particularly practical films to seek out on an individual level. Maybe they'll turn up in some warehouse or closet or archive amidst dozens if not hundreds of other films, but you'd need to cast a wide net to catch even one of the many, MANY concretely lost films we're seeking out.
So instead, I am going in a different direction. Most if not all of the 25 films listed below are films that are realistically findable, and in some cases we even know where they are. Yet none of these films, to the best of my knowledge, exist in a practical sense for us to watch except in very niche cases or specific locations.
My goal in all of this is to raise awareness about these films, point people in the right directions, and hopefully get them out of the purgatory that is ambiguous archival listings or rare/expensive screenings for an elite few. Until that point, I am comfortable calling many of these films "lost" in a practical sense, but with paths to be found that other lost films don't necessarily have. Hopefully by the end of the year, we can get a few of these as digital copies or even as future home media releases.
When applicable, I will note where these films were last seen or where they are supposedly kept. Should anything here peak your interest, it might be worth looking into those leads in the hopes of getting more info.
Contrary to popular believe, Those Who Make Tomorrow is NOT lost. It's been screened by both the National Museum of Modern Art as well as the National Film Archive of Japan, both in Tokyo, and I've seen reports of occasional screenings within the past half-decade or so. This remains the lone directorial work by Akira Kurosawa to not be readily accessible, with even his 1970-71 TV documentary Song of the Horse getting dug up and posted online. I can only imagine a film as sought after as this would be in high demand from home media or streaming companies, likely fetching good money as a result. So the fact it remains so buried is a mystery to me.
For a director whose prior masterpiece, 2002's The Days When I Don't Exist, seemingly exists undisturbed on YouTube, he really has made this specific film a nightmare to find in any form. It screened in both Locarno and Belfort festivals upon release, and allegedly the director has suggested it may someday get a proper Blu-Ray release, but as for right now it remains strictly a product of increasingly rare in-person screenings. Those who've seen it seem to adore it, though like Fitoussi's other work, it's likely more of an acquired taste akin to Tarkovsky or even his peers in Straub-Huillet.
If you start noticing a pattern, that's completely understandable. Many films that fit this niche description of 'sought after but not lost' tend to lean avant-garde and usually come from the States. These are the films that have benefitted from arthouse screenings and positive word-of-mouth while also keeping to themselves and dodging digital transfers altogether. In the case of Winged Dialogue, it apparently exists both as a 3-minute cut (possibly a re-edit featured in a later film by the same director?) as well as the original 15-minute version. I do know you can spot shots from this film in 2003's Early Monthly Segments, but the full 15-minute version from the 60's remains an in-person experience. I believe there is in fact a digital transfer of that version specifically, but I cannot for the life of me get my hands on it.
An odd case where the "sequel" of sorts - 1981's The Second Journey (To Uluru) - is in fact available to find online, while the preceding feature is much rarer. Corinne Cantrill tragically passed away earlier this year, while Arthur is still going well into his 80's. Much of their work, which they termed "Expanded Cinema", remains elusive if you aren't clever enough to catch a screening somewhere.
Most Best Picture nominees from the history of the Academy Awards, at this point, seem pretty well maintained. Yes, The Patriot is still missing besides production stills and a theatrical trailer, and it was only recently that someone stitched together a complete copy of East Lynne which once had its final reel relegated to a film archive, but barring some lost theatrical versions of otherwise maintained films, the Best Picture category has a pretty good record in the present day. That said, 1934's The White Parade seems to exist exclusively as an unrestored copy at UCLA that you have to request a screening for. Some have made the trek out to see it for themselves, and while it isn't considered some buried away masterpiece, it's still a significant part of Oscar history and hopefully gets treated as such instead of being left to rot away outright.
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