The Missing [Iti Mapukpukaw] (18*) {UK Premiere} + Q&A

Eric works as an animator in the Philippines. He has a fairly normal life: a well-paying job; a nice, albeit messy, apartment; and he’s attracted to a colleague, Carlo, who seems to like him as well. One unusual thing about Eric, however, is that he does not have a mouth – literally – so communicates via a tablet and sign language. 

One day, his mother asks him to check on his uncle, who has been missing for a while. Agreeing to help, Eric unwittingly provokes the appearance of a familiar, sinister UFO, and the untangling of traumatic memories. 

Drawing on themes associated with the New Queer Cinema, Carl Joseph Papa’s outstanding animation portrays the psychological journey of a mouthless character who must face up to that which cannot be spoken.