King Auk (Cinecity)

Part of Cinecity 2026 at Depot. Followed by Q&A with director Brian McClave and Dr Joanne Cooper of the Natural History Museum.

In May 1813, on the remote Orkney island of Papa Westray, a local hunter collected a flightless seabird for a bounty placed by a private collector. That bird was one of the last breeding Great Auks in Britain. Today, its preserved remains are held as a long-term treasure within the Natural History Museum - one of the oldest specimens in its collection.

King Auk follows the six-year journey to create a life-sized bronze memorial on the clifftops of Papa Westray, crafted using high-resolution 3D digital scans of the fragile museum specimen. Bringing together the voices of islanders, scientists and curators, the film weaves a captivating historical mystery with a stark, contemporary warning about human impact on wildlife.