Glenn Howerton & Sarah Minnich in Docu-Drama ‘The Thief Collector’
by Alex Billington
May 4, 2023
Source: YouTube
“You take it, you make it yours.” FilmRise has revealed an official trailer for an indie crime caper titled The Thief Collector, marking the feature directorial of Allison Otto. This premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival last year, and is opening to watch this month on VOD. The docu-drama film follows the true story of one of the most elaborate art heists of the 20th century, the theft of “Woman-Ochre,” Willem de Kooning’s iconic painting, and the eccentric couple – both schoolteachers – at the center of the heist. It was cut from its frame at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. 32 years later, the painting was found hanging in a New Mexico home. The film stars Glenn Howerton & Sarah Minnich, with Brandon Ruiz & Hailee Cruzen. This “uniquely combines the strong appeal and captivating nature of crime documentaries together with the true story of one of the most audacious art heists in history, making it irresistible.” Well I’m sold! Always down for a good heist film, especially a true story of thieves who really didn’t care about the money.
Here’s the official trailer (+ poster) for Allison Otto’s The Thief Collector, direct from YouTube:
A captivating crime documentary about the heist one of the most valuable paintings of the 20th century, Willem de Kooning’s “Woman-Ochre,” which was brazenly cut from its frame in 1985 while hanging at the University of Arizona Museum of Art. 32 years later, the painting was found hanging in the New Mexico home of an eccentric married couple with a keen eye for great works but a very unconventional method of collecting them. The Thief Collector is directed by filmmaker Allison Otto, making her feature directorial debut after a few other short films previously. The screenplay is written by Mark Monroe and Nick Andert. This initially premiered at the 2022 SXSW Film Festival last year. FilmRise will debut The Thief Collector film in select US theaters + on VOD starting May 19th, 2023 coming up. For details, visit their official site.