It’s a love story like few others. Award winning Australian artist Craig Ruddy and his Peruvian partner Roberto Menza-Mont lived a dream life in the Byron Shire village of The Pocket. That is, until Covid claimed Ruddy’s life in 2022.

The pair met in 2001 and their lives changed when Ruddy won the Archibald prize in 2004 for his portrait of legendary Yolnju actor David Gulpilil. He continued to paint indigenous subjects like Bruce Pascoe and Warwick Thornton, alongside a series of sensuous nudes.

Director Molly Reynolds (partner of fellow director Rolf de Heer) has assembled the documentary ‘A Portrait of Love’ from thousands of Iphone videos shot by Roberto over the years the couple were together.

The film features clips of them dancing at the Billinudgel Hotel’s regular Nudge Nudge Wink Wink parties and their global adventures from Buenos Aires to Ibiza.

A Portrait of Love screens at the Byron Theatre Saturday June 22.

Hear The Ranger speak with Roberto