Past screening

The Man Who Stole Banksy

Directed by: Marco Proserpio
Runtime: 1hr 30min Year: 2018
Watch trailer

Details

Directed by: Marco Proserpio
Runtime: 1hr 30min Year: 2018
Country: Italy
Last Screened: Thu 25th Apr 2019

Narrated by Iggy Pop, greed and corruption is at the heart of this story about a Banksy mural going missing from Bethlehem.

Back in 2007, Banksy painted a mural on a wall in Bethlehem – a donkey getting its papers checked by an armed soldier.  A local taxi driver decided to cut it off and sell it on eBay.

What follows is a story of clashing cultures, art, identity, theft and black market. It is not one story, but many. With Iggy Pop narrating, the The Man Who Stole Banksy explores the debates; who owns art created without permission in public spaces, why is Western art is so protected and revered, and whether Banksy’s political statement translates to Palestinian culture.

With Banksy’s anti-establishment and anti-capitalist ethos, it is ironic to witness the money-grabbing battles that eat up his work, and diminish their context.