Unearthing stories relevant to particular countries is a constant task for film archivists around the world. Tonight at the New Zealand Film Archive in Wellington, Lost & Found: Rare Films from Around the World share a range of gems recently returned to their rightful home in New Zealand. A broad range of NZ history is covered, from the public pride of sporting moments and visitors of significance to the earliest surviving footage of the Chatham Islands. Unearthing stories relevant to particular countries is a constant task for film archivists around the world. Tonight at the New Zealand Film Archive in Wellington, Lost & Found: Rare Films from Around the World share a range of gems recently returned to their rightful home in New Zealand. A broad range of NZ history is covered, from the public pride of sporting moments and visitors of significance to the earliest surviving footage of the Chatham Islands.Tracking the films down

Like playing a game of hide and seek, film canisters can sit in overseas archives for decades with no recognition or acknowledgment of their cultural significance. This programme looks at a range of films discovered in Australia and the United Kingdom, of immense historical interest to New Zealand cultural history.

With a mixture of serendipity, good luck and persistent detective work films can be identified, catalogued and returned to their rightful home after years of overseas adventure.

Many of these previously unknown films were identified during visits to film archives in Australia and Europe in 1995 and 1999 by National Programmes Manager Jane Paul.

Fantastic discoveries

While a pair of unknown rowers on a faraway river is insignificant without historical context, this has been discovered as rare footage of the 1908 World Sculling Contest on the Whanganui River.

A film canister found in a derelict garden shed in England has turned out to be the surviving reel of the 1928 feature film The Romance of Hinemoa.

Bringing films home a priority for NZ Film Archive

Support from an ANZAC Fellowship and a Churchill Fellowship allowed Jane to travel and identify these films of importance to New Zealand. As Jane says, "Slowly we are getting more copies of the films back, but it is a really expensive business. However it's a great resource for people here, and one that can only grow. Bringing material home to New Zealand has been a priority for The Film Archive since its inception 26 years ago."

The programme

This programme covers a broad range of New Zealand history; from the public pride of sporting moments and visitors of significance, to the earliest surviving footage of the Chatham Islands taken in 1924.

The Maori Pioneer Battalion are welcomed home at the Auckland Domain and rare home movie footage captures the sinking of the Tahiti, a large passenger ship on its way to San Francisco which sank 460 miles from Rarotonga.

Travelogues on Nelson and the Manawatu outline small settlements 'the way they were', while one particular film on trawling off Napier reminds us how far we've come. In this footage, carrier pigeons are used for communication with those back onshore.

A group of politicians visiting Stonehenge in 1912, pat and sit on the giant rocks while smoking their pipes and a range of newsreels produced by Pathe, Gaumont, Australian Gazette, Movietone and Cinesound, outline the concerns of the day.

The collection contains rare footage of the aftermath of the Murchison earthquake, the eruption at Frying Pan Flat, along with footage of Wizard Smith breaking a landspeed record. Crowds go wild over the Beatles visit in 1965 and rare footage shows George Bernard Shaw visiting New Zealand during the 1930s.

The 80-minute programme will be accompanied by pianist Sue Alexander as most of the films are silent.

When: Thursday 24 May, 7pm
Where: New Zealand Film Archive, 84 Taranaki Street, Wellington
Entry by koha