A long buried treasure from Hollywood’s golden age, Lonesome (1928) was only unearthed in the 80s, a remarkable piece of cinema from the little-known but audaciously creative Hungarian émigré, Paul Fejos. A lavish New York City symphony set amidst the mass mania of Coney Island during the Fourth of July holiday, Lonesome pulls out all the stops for a film of its era: colour tinting, superimpositions, experimental editing, and a roving camera, plus three dialogue scenes, belatedly added to satisfy the new craze for talkies. At the heart is a winning love story - making their way through the visual pandemonium are two shy and lonely young city folk falling in love.

Pop maestro Lawrence Arabia will be joined by Carnivorous Plant Society to perform a new score for Lonesome at Paramount Cinema on the afternoon of Sunday 9 August.

Be sure to mark your calendars for this very special screening.

The full Wellington programme will be announced on the evening of Thursday 25 June with tickets on sale from Wednesday 1 July. NZIFF screens in Wellington from 24 July to 9 August.