The Thief Collector

Year
2022
Country
USA
Duration:
96 mins

Overview

Director Allison Otto leans into one of the most audacious crimes of the 20th century — an art heist, solved 30 years later. The mystery is not what happened or whodunit, but why they did it. Jerry and Rita Alter were inseparable and attractive eccentrics; well-traveled loners devoted to lives seemingly well-lived. Why did they steal Willem de Kooning’s “Woman-Ochre” from the University of Arizona art museum? The answers, emerging from a deep dive into the Alters’ self-documented travels and their estate, presents the viewer with an irresolvable enigma: What could an audacious pair of criminals get away with in their pursuit of adventure?


Colorado Premiere

Production Team

Director
Allison Otto

Film Contact

Festival Screenings

Featured in the 2022 Mountainfilm Festival.