Canadian Premiere
David Rumsey has dedicated himself to collecting historical maps. A leading figure in the cartography world, he has shared this love with others by opening up vast digital archives and building an impressive map centre. Haunted by the recent loss of a teacher, Rumsey ponders his legacy and wonders how his maps will live on after his death. As he looks back on his life, he revisits various versions of himself: the film student who made surrealist films; the financier; and the virtual avatar in Second Life. Accompanying his quest is an AI companion who navigates road trips and who philosophically wonders about the strangeness of humans.
We spend time with Rusmey as his life draws to a close, a very gentle man looking out to the ocean from the coast of both California and Cape Breton. This allows the film to meditate on mortality and change: how the world was represented in the past, and how it might be in the future, as we stand on the edge of a new AI-empowered multiverse. It’s also a reflection for all of us on our place in the world, and what our collections might mean, with all those practical and spiritual implications.
Presented by
Media Partner
David Rumsey
Italy/USA/Canada
2023
English
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Indigenous & Community Access
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Credits & Director
Producer
Andrea Gatopoulos, Marco Crispano, Marco Caberlotto, Lucio Scarpa
Screenwriter
Andrea Gatopoulos
Cinematography
Antonio Morra
Editor
Andrea Gatopoulos
Original Music
Brian Eno, Harold Budd, Kevin Braheny Fortune
Andrea Gatopoulos
Andrea Gatopoulos is a producer, director, and distributor originally from Pescara and currently living in Rome. He founded the production company Il Varco, producing 21 shorts and 4 features, alongside publishing 5 books. He is the artistic director of Il Varco International Short Film Festival, founder of the festival Short Days, and the distribution company Gargantua Film. Andrea’s films have been presented at over 120 festivals globally, including Cannes, Locarno, and Venice. He has worked with Werner Herzog for his film accelerator in Colombia and studied under Apichatpong Weerasethakul at the Creators Lab in Yucatán. His short films include Happy New Year, Jim (Directors’ Fortnight, 2022) and Eschaton Ad (Locarno, 2023). A Stranger Quest is Andrea’s debut feature and premiered at the 41st Torino Film Festival.
Photo by Ulysse del Drago
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