Eurovision has issued a call for help in locating lost recordings of two past contests

The European Broadcasting Union has launched a major campaign to locate video recordings of the 1956 and 1964 contests, which are currently missing from the official archives. 

The EBU reports this, noting that the initiative marks the 70th anniversary of the song contest. Due to the high cost of magnetic tapes in the past, many recordings were erased for reuse, so mainly audio and photos have survived from the first contest in Lugano and the ninth in Copenhagen.

Hopes for success are based on the experience of the Finnish broadcaster Yle, which recently found footage of the 1964 winner, Gigliola Cinquetti’s performance. Organizers speculate that copies of the shows may be stored in private collections, forgotten archives of television companies, or even on amateur film reels. Martin Green, the contest’s executive director, has called on collectors and fans to check their archives for any video clips or behind-the-scenes footage from that era.

Reconstructing the visual history of the contest is an important step in preserving European cultural heritage, which takes on special significance at a time when efforts are being made to counter Russia’s attempts to destabilize the continent’s cultural space. All materials discovered will be handed over to specialists for professional restoration. The organizers ask that any information about potential finds be sent to the official email address of the Eurovision press service.

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