Inspired by remarkable true events, acclaimed writer/director Bonitzer’s sharp and hugely engrossing dramedy follows a self-assured auctioneer whose professional and personal integrity is challenged by the discovery of a long-lost masterpiece.

Paris, present day. Brash 40-something André Masson (César Award-winner Alex Lutz), a hotshot modern art appraiser at prestigious high-end auction house Scottie’s, receives word that a painting by Egon Schiele may have been found in a young factory worker’s home in the Alsatian city of Mulhouse.

Though highly sceptical, André travels to view the canvas with his ex-partner Bettina (the superb Léa Drucker, Custody) who is also an expert valuator, only to be convinced of its authenticity as a masterwork long assumed destroyed by Nazi officials during WWII. For André, the ramifications of this once-in-a-lifetime find for his career and for his contentious relationship with his less-than-reliable intern Aurore (Louise Chevillotte), will prove both unexpected and transformative.

Skilfully brought to life by an array of endearing and duplicitous characters, THE STOLEN PAINTING is a thrilling exploration of the often-cynical world of art dealing and collecting, where the jaw-dropping prices aren’t always related to the rarity of the object or the desire of potential customers.
www.thestolenpainting.com.au

Winner of the Best Director and Best First Feature awards at the Venice Film Festival 2017, Xavier Legrand’s heart-stopping drama CUSTODY charts a family’s struggles with the fallout of divorce.

Miriam (Léa Drucker, The Blue Room) and Antoine (Denis Ménochet, The Returned) have recently separated and while their 17-year-old daughter Josephine (Mathilde Auneveux) is able to decide living arrangements for herself, Miriam is desperate to keep her 11-year-old son Julien (Thomas Gioria) away from his father.

But the magistrate rules in favour of joint-custody, and suddenly the boy is thrown directly into the middle of an escalating parental conflict, where it seems inevitable that sides must be chosen.

Superbly observed and flawlessly acted (the heartrending performances of the two children are more than worth the price of admission), Legrand’s precise dissection of this family dynamic masterfully builds into a pulse-pounding thriller. Honest, yet still evoking profound sympathy for all its protagonists, CUSTODY is sure to be remembered as one of the most important and vital films of 2018.

Custody will open in cinemas nationally on September 27, 2018.
www.palacefilms.com.au/custody