Join us for a special one-off screening of this new documentary – filmed here in Orkney! – followed by live in-person Q&A with the film’s director, David Kew. All tickets only £5, £4 concessions!

What would you do if you were making a film and your main character suddenly vanished?

When artist Sergei Ivanov moves with his partner Tszman Chan to the remote Scottish island of Papa Westray, they start an International Arts Festival, bringing an eclectic mix of artists, performers and musicians to the island from as far afield as Japan and USA.

With the festival entering its seventh year they invite their friend and filmmaker David Kew to make a documentary about their extraordinary life on the island.

But when Sergei suddenly disappears without trace on Papa Westray three months into filming, the filmmaker is forced to embark on a profound journey of discovery and contemplation.

As the filmmaker interviews those left behind each in their own way trying to make sense of Sergei’s vanishing, the film gravitates towards Tszman as she attempts to come to terms with her grief by creating an elegiac and moving tribute to Sergei on the island.

Shot over several years, the film includes profoundly moving scenes with Tszman and their daughter Snaedis in the wake of Sergei’s disappearance, interviews with islanders, artists and close family members.

This mesmerising film goes to the very heart of what it means to be an artist, how we judge success and failure and the nature of loss.