The Artist Who Disappeared

Directed by David Kew

When artist Sergei Ivanov moves with his partner Tezman 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 Iszman as she attempts to come to terms with her grief by creating an elegiac and moving tribute to Sergei on the island.