Join us for this special one-off screening of a fascinating documentary about the life of Finnish Moomins creator Tove Jansson. The Moomins are loved by children and parents worldwide, who have grown up listening to Jansson's delightful stories about a group of philosophical trolls who face a range of adventures in Moominland.

This BBC film reveals the strong autobiographical slant in the Moomins series as it traces the author's own extraordinary story from living the bohemian life of an artist in war-torn Helsinki to becoming a recluse on a remote island in the Gulf of Finland.

Enjoying unprecedented access to Jansson's personal archive, it reveals an unconventional, brave and compelling woman whose creative genius extended way beyond Moominland to satire, fine art and masterful adult fiction - not least her highly regarded The Summer Book. With home movie footage shot by her long-term female lover and companion, it offers a unique glimpse of an uncompromising fun-loving woman who developed love as the central theme of her work.

After the screening children's author Philip Ardagh (a contributor to the film) will host a Q&A session. When the Q&A is over we invite you all to our candlelit Café/Bar (which we have transformed into a special Moomin Café where you can sit with, yes, you guessed it - Moomins!) to carry on the conversation with Philip in a slightly more informal setting - a chance for Moomin fans to unite and chat over a glass of wine!

Presented in partnership with Festival of Ideas.

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