UNESCO's concern for audiovisual heritage within the Memory of the World (MoW) Programme originated the Recommendation for the Safeguarding and Preservation of Moving Images, adopted by the General Conference in October 1980. The recommendation acknowledged the rapid disappearance of film materials, with early cinema particularly affected: by the mid-1990s, more than three-quarters of the earliest film production had been lost. Films from as recently as 1990 required restoration. The document identified three periods of large-scale film loss linked to changes in taste or commercial interest: the destruction of early cinema, the transition from silent to sound film, and the replacement of nitrate stock with acetate base.
To mark the centenary of cinema (1895-1995), UNESCO's General Information Programme and UNISIST compiled Memory of the World: National Cinematic Heritage (CII.95/WS/7, Paris, September 1995). This was the first list published as part of the MoW Programme.
UNESCO contacted national film archives and similar institutions, requesting each to identify approximately fifteen films considered representative of their national cinematic heritage. Responses were received from fifty countries and territories: Angola, Australia, Austria, Bolivia, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Côte d'Ivoire, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Egypt, Ethiopia, Finland, Germany, Greece, the Holy See, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Laos, Lebanon, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, South Korea, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Ukraine, the United States, Venezuela, and Yugoslavia.
List of films
Angola Quem Faz Correr Quim (1991, Mariano Bartolomeu) O Golpe (1977, Francisco Henriques) Kimbanda (1978, Rui Duarte) Carnaval da Vitória (1978, António Olé) Ondylewa / A Festa do Boi Sagrado (1978, Rui Duarte) O Ritmo do Ngola Ritmos (1978, António Olé) Adeus à Hora da Partida (1979, Francisco Henriques) No Caminho das Estrelas (1980, António Olé) Conceição Tchiambula (1982, António Olé) Nelisita (1982, Rui Duarte) Balanço do Tempo na Cena de Angola (1983, Rui Duarte) Memória de um Dia (1984, Orlando Fortunato) Marabu (1985, Denise Salazar) Levanta Voa e Vamos (1986, Asdrubal Rebelo) Meus Irmãos Cokwes (1991, Manuel Mariano)
Australia The Story of the Kelly Gang (1906, Charles Tait) Home of the Blizzard (1913, Frank Hurley) The Sentimental Bloke (1919, Raymond Longford) For the Term of His Natural Life (1927, Norman Dawn) Dad and Dave Come to Town (1938, Ken G. Hall) Forty Thousand Horsemen (1940, Charles Chauvel) Kokoda Front Line (1944, Damien Parer) The Back of Beyond (1954, John Heyer) Jedda (1955, Charles Chauvel) Two Thousand Weeks (1969, Tim Burstall) Picnic at Hanging Rock (1975, Peter Weir) News Front (1978, Phillip Noyce) Breaker Morant (1980, Bruce Beresford) Mad Max II (1981, George Miller) Gallipoli (1981, Peter Weir) Strictly Ballroom (1992, Baz Luhrmann)
Austria Sodom und Gomorrha (1922, Michael Kertész) Die Stadt ohne Juden (1924, Hans Karl Breslauer) Maskerade (1934, Willi Forst) Vorstadtvarieté (1934, Werner Hochbaum) Der Prozess (1947, G.W. Pabst) Der Rabe (1951, Kurt Steinwendner) Die letzte Brücke (1953, Helmut Käutner) Kassbach (1978, Peter Patzak) Geschichten aus dem Wienerwald (1979, Maximilian Schell) Der Schüler Gerber (1980, Wolfgang Glück) Ein wenig Sterben (1981, Mansur Madavi) Raffl (1983, Christian Berger) Schmutz (1986, Paulus Manker) T4 – Hartheim 1: Sterben und Leben im Schloss (1988, Egon Humer, Andreas Gruber and Johannes Neuhauser) Die toten Fische (1989, Michael Synek) Weininger's Nacht (1990, Paulus Manker)
Bolivia La Profecía del Lago (1925, José María Velasco Maidana) Inauguración del Estadio Hernando Siles (1928, José María Velasco Maidana) Wara-Wara (1929, José María Velasco Maidana) Hacia la Gloria (1932/33, José Jiménez and Mario Camacho) Infierno Verde o la Guerra del Chaco (1933/36, Luis Bazoberry) La Campaña del Chaco (1933, José María Velasco Maidana) Al Pie del Illimani (1948, EMELCO) Vuelve Sebastiana (1953, Jorge Ruiz) La Vertiente (1958, Jorge Ruiz) Aysa (1965, Jorge Sanjinés) Ukumau (1966, Jorge Sanjinés) El Coraje del Pueblo (1967, Jorge Sanjinés) Yawar Mallku (1969, Jorge Sanjinés) Pueblo Chico (1974, Antonio Eguino) Chuquiago (1977, Antonio Eguino)
Brazil Limite (1931, Mário Peixoto) Ganga Bruta (1933, Humberto Mauro) O Cangaceiro (1952, Lima Barreto) O Grande Momento (1958, Roberto Santos) Porto das Caixas (1962, Paulo César Saraceni) O Pagador de Promessas (1962, Anselmo Duarte) Vidas Secas (1963, Nelson Pereira dos Santos) Noite Vazia (1964, Walter Hugo Khouri) Deus e o Diabo na Terra do Sol (1964, Glauber Rocha) São Paulo SA (1965, Luís Sérgio Person) A Grande Cidade (1966, Carlos Diegues) O Bandido da Luz Vermelha (1968, Rogério Sganzerla) Macunaíma (1969, Joaquim Pedro de Andrade) Eles Não Usam Black-Tie (1980, Leon Hirszman) Gaijin – Caminhos da Liberdade (1980, Tizuka Yamasaki) Pra Frente Brasil (1982, Roberto Farias) Cabra Marcado para Morrer (1984, Eduardo Coutinho)
Burkina Faso Le Sang des Parias (1971, Mamadou Djim Kola) Wend Kuuni (1982, Gaston Kaboré) Pawéogo (1982, Kollo Sanou) Jours de Tourmentes (1982, Paul Zoumbara) Yam Dabo (1986, Idrissa Ouédraogo) Desebagato (1987, Emmanuel Sanou) Histoire d'Orokia (1987, Jacob Sou) Zan Boko (1988, Gaston Kaboré) Yaaba (1988, Idrissa Ouédraogo) Laafi (1990, Pierre Yaméogo) Tilaï (1990, Idrissa Ouédraogo) Yelbeedo (1990, Abdoulaye D. Sow) Laada (1990, Drissa Touré) Sababu (1992, Joahny N. Traoré) Rabi (1992, Gaston Kaboré)
Canada The Song That Reached His Heart / An Unselfish Love / The Life of a Salmon (1910, J. Searle Dawley) Back to God's Country (1919, David M. Hartford) Carry On Sergeant! (1928, Bruce Bairnsfather) In the Shadow of the Pole (1928, Richard S. Finnie) The Arctic Patrol (1929, Richard S. Finnie) The Igloo Dwellers (1931, Richard S. Finnie) Canadian Cameo Series (1932/54, Gordon Sparling) Lest We Forget (1934, Frank C. Badgley) Films by Maurice Proulx (1937/59, Maurice Proulx) Animated Films of the National Film Board (1941/44, Norman McLaren) City of Gold (1957, Wolf Koenig and Colin Low) Mon Oncle Antoine (1970, Claude Jutra) Wedding in White (1972, William Fruet) Les Dernières Fiançailles (1973, Jean Pierre Lefebvre)
Chile Un Día de Trabajo en la Escuela de Caballería (1910/20, Anónimo) Parada Militar (1911, Anónimo) El Húsar de la Muerte (1925, Pedro Sienna) El Hechizo del Trigal (1939, Eugenio de Liguoro) La Casa está Vacía (1945, Carlos Schlepper) Cita con el Destino (1945, Miguel Frank) Música en Tu Corazón (1946, Miguel Frank) El Último Guapo (1947, Mario Lugones) Las Callampas (1957, Rafael Sánchez) Chile Paralelo 56 (1964, Rafael Sánchez) La Dama de las Camelias (1992, José Bohr)
China The Goddess (1934, Wu Yonggang) Street Angel (1937, Yuan Muzhi) Yijang Chunshui Dong Liu / A Spring River Flows East (1947, Cai Chusheng and Zheng Junli) Myriads of Light (1948, Shen Fu) Springtime in a Little Town (1948, Fei Mu) Life of a Beijing Policeman (1950, Shi Shui) New Year Sacrifice (1956, Sang Hu) The Lin Family Shop (1959, Shui Hua) Lin Zexu (1959, Zhen Junli and Cen Fan) Early Spring February (1963, Xie Tieli) My Memories of Old Beijing (1982, Wu Yigong) The Yellow Earth (1984, Chen Kaige) Hibiscus Town (1986, Xie Jin) Hong Gaoliang / Red Sorghum (1987, Zhang Yimou) Woman Demon Human (1987, Huang Shuqin)
Colombia El Drama del 15 de Octubre (1915, Francesco di Domenico) María (1921, Alfredo del Diestro y Máximo Calvo) Alma Provinciana (1925, Félix Joaquín Rodríguez) Garras de Oro (1928, P.P. Jambrina) Colombia Victoriosa (1933, Álvaro Acevedo and Gonzalo Acevedo) Allá en el Trapiche (1943, Roberto Saa Silva) 9 de Abril (1948, Camilo Correa) La Langosta Azul (1955, Álvaro Cepeda Samudio, Gabriel García Márquez, Luis Vicens and Enrique Grau) El Río de las Tumbas (1965, Julio Luzardo) Pasado Meridiano (1965, José María Arzuaga) Chircales (1968/72, Marta Rodríguez and Jorge Silva) Agarrando Pueblo (1977, Luis Ospina and Carlos Mayolo) Tiempo de Morir (1985, Jorge Alí Triana) Rodrigo D, No Futuro (1988, Víctor Manuel Gaviria) La Estrategia del Caracol (1993, Sergio Cabrera) La Gente de la Universal (1994, Felipe Aljure)
Côte d'Ivoire Dune de la Solitude (1964, Timité Bassori) La Femme au Couteau (1968, Timité Bassori) Concerto pour un Exil (1967, Désiré Ecaré) Amanie (1972, Roger Gnoan M'Bala) A Nous Deux France (1970, Désiré Ecaré) Adja-Tio (1980, Jean-Louis Koula) Abusuan (1972, Henri Duparc) Djeli (1981, Kramo Lancine Fadika) L'Herbe Sauvage (1977, Henri Duparc) Visage de Femme (1985, Désiré Ecaré) Bal Poussière (1988, Henri Duparc) Au Nom du Christ (1992, Roger Gnoan M'Bala) Rue Princesse (1993, Henri Duparc) Wariko (1993, Kramo Lancine Fadika)
Czech Republic Batalion (1927, Přemysl Pražský) Erotikon (1929, Gustav Machatý) Panen ství (1937, Otakar Vávra) Svět patří nám (1937, Martin Frič) Daleká cesta (1948, Alfréd Radok) Vynález zkázy (1958, Karel Zeman) Trápení (1961, Karel Kachyňa) Černý Petr (1963, Miloš Forman) Démanty noci (1963, Jan Němec) Obchod na Korze (1964, Ján Kadár and Elmar Klos) Intimní osvětlení (1965, Ivan Passer) Marketa Lazarová (1965, František Vláčil) Sedmikrásky (1965, Věra Chytilová) Ostře sledované vlaky (1966, Jiří Menzel) Všichni dobří rodáci (1968, Vojtěch Jasný)
Denmark Afgrunden (1910, Urban Gad) Ved Fængslets Port (1910, August Blom) Det Hemmelighedsfulde X (1913, Benjamin Christensen) Du skal ære din Hustru (1925, Carl Th. Dreyer) Præsten i Vejlby (1930, George Schnéevoigt) Danmarksfilmen (1935, Poul Henningsen) Vredens Dag (1943, Carl Th. Dreyer) De Røde Enge (1945, Bodil Ipsen and Lau Lauritzen Jr.) Ditte Menneskebarn (1946, Bjarne Henning-Jensen) Ordet (1955, Carl Th. Dreyer) Sult (1966, Henning Carlsen) Der var engang en Krig (1966, Palle Kjærulff-Schmidt) Johnny Larsen (1979, Morten Arnfred) The Element of Crime (1983, Lars von Trier) Pelle Erobreren (1987, Bille August)
Ecuador Los Invencibles Shuaras del Alto Amazonas (1926, Carlos Crespi) Obra Fílmica Documental Miguel A. Álvarez (1927/35, M.A. Álvarez) El Terror de la Frontera (1929, Luis Martínez, Teresa Quirola and Mery Holguín) Se Conocieron en Guayaquil (1949, Paco Villar) Cadena Infinita (1949, Demetrio Aguilera Malta) Amanecer en el Pichincha (1950, Alberto Santana) Mariana de Jesús, Azucena de Quito (1959, Paco Villar) Los Guambras (1961, Gabriel Tramontana and Manuel Cirilo San Miguel) Obra Fílmica Documental Karl Gartelman (1970, Karl Gartelman) Expedición a los Llanganates (s.f., Torgny Andemberger and Rolf Blomberg)
Egypt Lasheen (1939, Ferites Cramb) El Azimah (1940, Kamal Selem) Elsouk Elsoda (1946, Kamal Eltelmesany) Hayah aw Maut (1955, Kamal Elsheikh) El Fetewa (1957, Salah Abou Seif) Bab Elhadid (1958, Youssef Chahine) Emraa fi Eltareik (1959, Ezz Eldien Zolfakar) Bedaya wa Nehaya (1960, Salah Abou Seif) Seraa fi Elnile (1960, Ataf Saleem) Elzowga No 13 (1962, Fatin Abdel Wahab) Elharam (1965, Henry Barakat) Elbostagy (1968, Hussein Kamal) Seraa el Abtal (1968, Tawfiq Saleh) Elmoumia (1969, Shadi Abdel Salam) Elard (1970, Youssef Chahine)
Ethiopia "3002" (1976, Teferi Bizuayehu) Struggle Victory, Victory Struggle (1978, Michel Papatakis) Father of Goats (1983, Ivo Shtreiker) The Hamer Herdsman and His Song (1983, Ivo Shtreiker) Dawn of Hope (1985, Mohammed Idris) Addis Ababa (1985, Tesfaye Sinke) Struggle Against Drought (1986, Solomon Bekele) Quench (1986, Solomon Bekele) Ethiopian Reconstruction (1986, Desta Worku) Lalibela (1988, Desta Worku) Gondar (1990, Desta Worku) Nutrition (1990, Desta Worku) Aster (1991, Solomon Bekele)
Finland