Better known by his pseudonym Araucaria, John Graham set the Guardian cryptic crossword for 55 years. In December 2012, crossword number 25,842 appeared in the newspaper with a series of clues that revealed a deeply personal message to his puzzle-solving followers.
A puzzle in itself, the film unpicks crossword number 25,842 to journey into John’s world of clue-making. Shifting between imagination and reality, DEAR ARAUCARIA meets the man who has given his life to crosswords and is only now coming to understand the dramatic impact he has had on his community of solvers.
DEAR ARAUCARIA won the Short Documentary Audience Award at Sheffield Doc/Fest 2015 and was nominated for Best Documentary at the London Short Film Festival.
Directed by MATT HOUGHTON
Produced by Francesca Boyce, Alistair Payne-James and Nicole Jackson
The film is made in partnership with the GUARDIAN and PULSE FILMS
2014 | 10 mins