
A Midair Rose Production
by Joe Medeiros
Mona Lisa is Missing - The Man Who Stole The Masterpiece
Who was the man who stole the Mona Lisa from the Louvre in 1911, hid it in his flat for two years and brought it back to Italy - and what were his motivations? An unsolved mystery. Until now. An investigative trip into the history of the most famous painting of all times.How did an unassuming housepainter from Italy pull off “the greatest little known art heist in modern time?” Was his motivation more than money?
Writer-director Joe Medeiros traces the path of Vincenzo Peruggia, charged with the 1911 theft of Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa from The Louvre, and finds the story of a daughter mourning the father she never knew and a country recovering from old wounds.
Combining historical photographs, animation and interviews with Peruggia’s descendants, Medeiros answers why and how the man called “Macaroni” by his French co-workers absconded with and kept the legendary painting for two years.
This riveting, often humorous documentary portrays a man struggling to find his way in the world and make his family proud.
San Joaquin, Salem, Austin, Mill Valley, Philadelphia, Amelia Island Film Festival, San Antonio (Jury Award) Bologna, Beverly Hills