THE INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE OF THE MISSING PIECE - BIOGRAFILM FESTIVAL, BOLOGNA, ITALY JUNE 15, 2013

Vincenzo Perugia came home to Italy last night after 100 years with the screening of The Missing Piece: Mona Lisa, Her Thief, The True Story at the Biografilm Festival in Bologna, Italy.  The Sala Mastroianni (named for famous Italian actor Marcello Mastroianni) in the Cinema Lumière was filled with viewers curious to see the story of the Italian workman who took the Mona Lisa from the Louvre and returned her to Italy in 1913.

Graziella and Silvio Peruggia, the grandchildren of Vincenzo were special guests, along with many of the Peruggia family. 

Graziella and Silvio Peruggia

Violetta Spadea (our translator for our shoot in 2008), Graziella's son Luca, Graziella's daughter Laura, Laura's husband Flavio

Also on hand was Mattia Sorbi, the great-grandson of the psychiatrist Dr. Amaldi who examined Perugia after his arrest,  Mattia's parents Paolo & Sabina Sorbi appear in the film but were unable to attend the premiere.

Director Joe Medeiros & Mattia Sorbi

Also joining us were the Bologna cousins of our good friend Nando di Stefano, owner of The Good Pizza in LA. Nando appears in the film as one of our key translators.

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(L to R) Silvio's wife, Sara, Laura, Violette. Luca, Matti Sorbi, Graziella, Silvio, Justine and Joe Medeiros, Valerio Peruggia, the Vice Mayor of Dumenza, Peruggia's home town.

It was very exciting for Justine and I since we've worked for 5 years -- almost non-stop -- to finish the film. To have it shown in Italy, to get such wonderful response from the audience and to have the Peruggia family there to share it with us was literally a dream come true.

Joe, Justine, Silvio and Graziella with he men who made our premiere possible: Biografilm Artistic Director Andrea Romeo (l) and (r)Assistant Artistic Director Dario Bonazelli.

The lovely & charming Justine with Festival volunteer, the lovely & charming Anne Jimkes from The Netherlands

Enjoying a pre-screening drink

Graziellla photographs the family

The film was shown on Blu-Ray with Italian and English subtitles. It will screen once more at the Odeon Cinema on Monday, June 17 at 22:00 (10 pm).

THE MISSING PIECE GOES TO BACK-TO-BACK FESTIVALS IN ITALY AND TEXAS

That's a little bit of culture shock, but we love both places.  Italy -- home of the Mona Lisa and Vincenzo Peruggia... and Texas -- where we've had very receptive and enthusiastic audiences at 3 other festivals.

The Missing Piece or Il pezzo mancante as we call it in Italian will be screening twice at the BIOGRAFILM FESTIVAL in Bologna, Italy -- Saturday, June 15 at 9:30 pm and Monday to close the festival at June 17 at 10:30 pm.

http://www.biografilm.it/2013/en

Vincenzo Peruggia will then carry the Mona Lisa to San Antonio where we will screen on Thursday, June 20 at 9:15 pm.

http://safilm.com/2013-schedule/

Stay tuned for more news from these two exciting events!

FIVE YEARS AGO, WE MET THE PERUGGIA FAMILY

It's hard to believe that five years have gone by since we met the Peruggia family in Dumenza, Italy.  We're happy to say that we'll be seeing Graziella and Silvio Peruggia again at our international premiere in Bologna, Italy June 15 & 16. 

This is a newsletter that I did shortly after meeting them in May 2008.

EBAY FIND - PROGRAM FROM SCREENING OF 1932 MONA LISA THEFT MOVIE

I'm always searching ebay for new Mona Lisa theft items.  Just bought this one -- a flyer from Loew's Theater Boston for the 1932 film "The Theft of the Mona Lisa."

There was actually a hit song from the film called "Tell Me Why You Smile, Mona Lisa."

The film's plot is based on Peruggia's relationship with a German girl named Mathilde.  The truth is less romantic than the fiction as we show in our film. (The song in the background is the German version of the hit song from the film.)

"The Theft of the Mona Lisa" is actually English version of the German film "Der Raub der Mona Lisa" which was released in Europe in 1931 -- the 20th anniversary of the theft.

Below is the German flyer which I found several years ago.

THE MISSING PIECE FIXES DATE OF INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE

The Missing Piece: Mona Lisa, Her Thief, The True Story

will have its international premiere at the

Biografilm Festival 2013 in Bologna Italy.

The scheduled dates are Saturday June 15 & Sunday, June 16

http://www.biografilm.it/2013/news/newspage/875

MONA LISA GOES LA

See the true story of how and why Vincenzo Peruggia, a simple Italian immigrant, stole the Mona Lisa -- and nearly got away with it!

Tickets are now on sale for the Los Angeles Premiere of 

The Missing Piece at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, Grauman's Chinese Theater,

SATURDAY, MAY 11, 3:15 PM

Click below for tickets and more information

BUY TICKETS

BOOK A PRIVATE SCREENING OF THE STORY OF THE MONA LISA AND HER THIEF

Do you want to know WHY Vincenzo Peruggia 
stole the Mona Lisa?

BOOK  A

PRIVATE SCREENING

OF

THE MISSING PIECE

for your school, club, group or organization

Audiences  across the country have been fascinated with the story of Vincenzo Peruggia, the man who stole the Mona. Lisa.  Right now, we are booking private screenings of this highly entertaining and informative film.  If you are an educator, art lover, history buff, Italian or French language enthusiast, you can bring The Missing Piece to your school, club, group or organization.



Email missingpiecedoc@gmail.com

for rates and  information.



Italian and French versions

are also available

THE MISSING PIECE NAMED AN OFFICIAL SELECTION OF THE BEVERLY HILLS FILM FESTIVAL - MAY 8-12, 2013

Screening dates and times to come.

http://www.beverlyhillsfilmfestival.com/

THE MISSING PIECE WINS BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD

We are thrilled to announce that The Missing Piece has won the Best Documentary Award at the Amelia Island Film Festival in Fernandina Beach, FL.  We want to thank the festival and he enhusiastic audiences who came out see our film.

THE MISSING PIECE WINS AUDIENCE CHOICE AWARD

We're happy to announce that our doc about the  man who stole the Mona Lisa won the Audience Choice Award at the RXSM Underground Film Expo, Austin's alternative festival to South-by-Southwest.  We'd like to thank RXSM and the festival voters.