Streaming with closed captions
Artscapes: Creative minds, artistic pursuits and inventive filmmaking
When Roman Lapshin was 12 years old, his grandfather told him a closely guarded family secret. For years, Roman has been captivated by the mystery surrounding the thousands of missing paintings his grandfather Vladimir Dvorkin created. Compelled to bring long-overdue recognition to his grandfather's legacy, this idealistic young adult travels across three continents and confronts his remaining family members, who resist digging up the past. Notions of ownership and appropriation remain controversial subjects regarding an artist's rights to their work. Lapshin remains steadfast that his immigrant grandfather entrusted him to set the record straight, now that he can no longer speak for himself. Using old videotapes Dvorkin recorded as traces of evidence, Roman tries to pull back the layers that have been obscuring the truth. Director Billie Mintz masterfully composes a high stakes, suspenseful thriller with all the elements of a true-crime drama, chasing down the clues to a surprising conclusion. Alexander Rogalski
Co-presented with Lumas Toronto
Artscapes program sponsored by
MEDIA COVERAGE