ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Lost film

Okay kiddo, have you ever heard the phrase "lost film"? Well, imagine that you have a favorite toy, but one day you can't find it no matter how hard you look. That's what happens with lost films - they are movies that used to exist, but nobody can find them anymore.

It's like a big game of hide-and-seek, where the film is the one hiding, and no one can find it. Sometimes, movies get lost because they were made a very long time ago, and the film just fell apart or got destroyed. Other times, people might have forgotten about them, or they were not very popular, and no one took care of them.

It's kind of sad, because lost films are a part of history that we can't see anymore. We can read about them or hear people talk about them, but we can't watch them. Luckily, sometimes, lost films are found again, like when you finally find your lost toy. But, it's rare and a great surprise when it happens.

So, next time you watch a movie, be grateful that it still exists, and we get to enjoy it!