To pre-order The Painter and The Thief, click here. The film will be available to view on IFI@Home from Friday, September 25th at 20.30.

IFI@HOME EXCLUSIVE

When two paintings by Czech naturalist Barbora Kysilkova are stolen from an Oslo art gallery, Norwegian authorities quickly identify and arrest the two thieves but find no trace of the paintings. Hoping to learn what happened, Barbora approaches one of the thieves, Karl-Bertil Nordland, a junkie and petty crook, at his criminal hearing. She asks if she can paint his portrait and, contrite, he agrees. What follows, over a number of years and a series of portraits, is an extraordinary story of human connection and friendship. As the film progresses, our understanding of the two people, and the stolen paintings, changes entirely.

Screening as part of the 2020 IFI Documentary Festival, 21st – 27th September.