A Stranger Quest

90 minutes – 2023

For David Rumsey, maps constitute the fabric of memory. They carry images of boundless worlds and the people who live there — past, present, and even the future. In the film A Stranger Quest by Andrea Gatopoulos, David takes us on a journey through time and space as he recalls why he started collecting. Over decades the collection grew into the intricate, innovative, and intimate story of his life and all the lives that have touched him. In many ways the collection is itself a map of his past life, a poem in physical and virtual dimensions that can be read in endless ways. Looking ahead, he wonders how this treasure trove of memory will endure. His collection of over 200,000 maps exist at the David Rumsey Map Center at Stanford University and online for all to explore now and long into the future.

A Stranger Quest, a documentary and art film combined, premiered at the Torino Film Festival on November 30, 2023 and was shown at over 20 film festivals world wide. At the DokuBaku International Documentary Film Festival it was awarded the Special Jury Prize for "finding the interesting cinematic form to show the main character’s deep passion and philosophical reflections on life and for highlighting the importance of following one’s dreams."

The description of the fim by the Vancouver Int. Film Vestival (@viffest): "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 Rumsey 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.” "

The film was released to the public in December 2024. Watch it in its entirety below or on Vimeo.

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