Documentary unmasks Orion, the man who would be Elvis Presley after the king of rock'n'roll died

British artist and director Finlay will hold a question-and-answer session after Monday's 6.30pm screening of the story of Jimmy Ellis, an unknown singer plucked from obscurity, then thrust into the spotlight as part of a crazy scheme that had him masquerade as Elvis back from the grave.

Bringing together an outlandish fictional identity torn from the pages of Gail Brewer Giorgio's novel, Orion, the backing of the Memphis birthplace of rock'n'roll, Sun Records, and a voice that seemed to be the very twin of Presley's, the “Elvis is alive” myth began to spread.

Borne on the wings of Jimmy's voice, his masked and rhinestoned creation Orion gained the success he always craved, the women he always desired and the adoration of the screaming masses, but it wasn’t enough. Finlay's story revels in the manipulative schemes of the music industry, the truth and lies at the heart of the story, the allure of fantasy and the eternal search for identity.

"Orion proves that fact is indeed stranger than fiction," says Glimmer Films filmmaker Jeanie. "This film is the story behind that story. Who was that masked man?"

In the wake of such films as Sound It Out and The Great Hip Hop Hoax, Finlay's sixth feature documentary again finds her exploring the machinations of the music business. Extensive research resulted in the discovery of exclusive archive materials, whereupon Finlay conducted interviews with Orion’s inner circle of girlfriends, family, band members and managers to bring to the screen the Faustian pact that took Jimmy "Orion" Ellis from smalltown Alabama to the bright lights of Nashville and its sultry promise of fame.

Orion: The Man Who Would Be King also will be broadcast on the BBC’s Storyville strand in November; all the film's screenings will be listed at orionthemovie.com/screenings Tickets for Monday can be booked on 0871 902 5726 or at picturehouses.com/cinema/York_Picturehouse