An important part of AFC's film preservation efforts is the guardianship of Latin American orphan films. Orphan films are films that lack the commercial interests capable of paying the costs necessary for preservation.

These films include newsreels, early silent films, educational shorts, films no longer under copyright protection, amateur footage, documentaries and features made outside the commercial mainstream.

Much of North America’s film heritage is cared for in Hollywood, mainly as a result of the major production studios realizing the commercial benefits of maintaining extensive film libraries.

Orphan films, particularly those from Latin America, are not so fortunate. Many are held by hundreds of disparate public film archives, museums, historical societies, libraries and individuals in Latin America that lack the resources to ensure the future of these works.

Though these bodies are committed to caring for film; they need support to make preservation copies, store film under archival conditions, and share materials with the public.

The Americas Film Conservancy is dedicated to supporting the collective efforts of these groups as a pan regional guardian for Latin American orphan films.