Restored 1914 Asian American silent film added to the National Film Registry

A 1914 Japanese American silent film long believed lost has been added to the National Film Registry as part of the Library of Congress’ January 2026 selections. “The Oath of the Sword,” produced by the Japanese American Film Company, survived in a single print held by the George Eastman Museum before being restored through a preservation effort led by Denise Khor, a professor at Northeastern University.

The film was named alongside Denzel Washington’s “Glory” and “Philadelphia,” as well as the 1950s musicals “White Christmas” and “High Society.”

An independent community production: Produced in Los Angeles by the Japanese American Film Company, the approximately 30-minute silent drama centers on a Japanese couple separated when the husband travels to the U.S. According to the Library of Congress, the film was made at a time when Hollywood studios were not yet the dominant storytellers of the American film industry. Scholars widely regard it as one of the earliest known films created by and for Asian American communities.

Rescuing a lost print: The surviving print entered the George Eastman Museum’s collection in 1963, where it remained largely unseen for decades. Khor later identified the film in the archive and worked with preservation partners, including the Japanese American National Museum and the National Film Preservation Foundation, to restore it. The restoration culminated in a 2023 world premiere screening at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures.

Preserving Asian American film history: In announcing the 2026 selections, the Library of Congress stated: “Made at a time when Hollywood studios were not yet the dominant storytellers of the American film industry, ‘The Oath of the Sword’ highlights the significance of early independent film productions created by and for Asian American communities.” The National Film Registry selects up to 25 films each year that are deemed culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.