Researchers at the Czech national film archives have found a film by early cinema pioneer Georges Méliès that was thought to have been lost forever.
The two-minute silent film Match de Prestidigitation ("conjuring contest") from 1904 was found on a reel given to the archives by an anonymous donor, labelled as another film.
Méliès, a stage magician turned film-maker from France, is credited with many technical and narrative developments in the 500-plus movies he made between 1896 and 1912.
"The reel was titled 'Les Transmutations Imperceptibles', which is the name of another work by Méliès. But our specialist immediately realised it was another film," archives spokeswoman Jana Ulipova said.
"Based on detailed analysis and research at the national library of France, among other places, we can say with certainty that it is Match de Prestidigitation, up to now considered lost."