'The Last Vermeer' Is a Thrilling True Story of Stolen Art During WWII at the Virtual KCET Cinema Series on Nov. 18

Q&A immediately following with actors Claes Bang, Vicky Krieps, and director Dan Friedkin.

The thrilling true story of Joseph Piller (Claes Bang) who was fighting in the Dutch Resistance during WWII while flamboyant artist Han van Meegeren (Guy Pearce) was throwing parties and selling art to top Nazis. Afterwards, van Meegeren becomes a national hero for having swindled the Nazis with forged paintings by Johannes Vermeer. Piller becomes an investigator identifying and redistributing stolen art, resulting in van Meegeren being accused of art forgery and collaboration — a crime punishable by death. 

“The heartbeat of 'The Last Vermeer' is the question of, what is art and what makes something a fake or not,” says director Dan Friedkin. “People can create convenient answers for that. And sometimes, it’s a moral consideration or a decision that impacts the value of art. I was fascinated with that, and these are issues that are personal to me and which I’ve been thinking about and deliberating over for a long time. Joseph Piller is trying to determine what’s right or wrong, and Han van Meegeren contains another layer that is specific to him, and it all stems from those undercurrents.”

Immediately following the screening, Deadline’s chief film critic Pete Hammond, who can also be seen on KCET’s Must See Movies, will moderate a Q&A with actors Claes Bang, Vicky Krieps, and director Dan Friedkin.

The film screens on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 7 p.m. PST. Only $10 per viewing link. Limited space available.

To sign up, click here.