Second Sight: A Collection of New International Restorations

Typically referring to one’s faculty for seeing into the future, the clairvoyance implied in the phrase “second sight” indicates not just the anticipation of saving cinema for a future beyond our own, but also points to a new opportunity, to a second chance. Second Sight offers the occasion for new encounters with works that have fallen from the collective consciousness for any number of reasons. Luckily, the continued drive by scholars, archivists, boutique distributors and film activists to push the cinematic canon toward a continual reappraisal offers a corrective for previous omissions. 

As an institution actively invested in the preservation of film history for generations beyond our own, the UCLA Film & Television Archive celebrates our contribution to the film conservation conversation through our biennial UCLA Festival of Preservation, which earlier in 2022 celebrated its 20th edition. As part of our mission to highlight the heroic efforts by our archival and distribution colleagues, we also relish the chance to exhibit their new restorations completed both stateside and abroad. Second Sight hopes to celebrate these newly rediscovered works in beautiful new digital or photochemical restorations. This first edition of our Second Sight program collects new digital restorations of films by women working in Australia, Cuba, Oregon and Japan.

Special thanks to our community partner: UCLA International Institute