The Desert of Forbidden Art

Release Date: March 11, 2011 (NY; LA release: March 18)

Studio: Desert of Forbidden Art LLC
Director: Tchavdar Georgiev, Amanda Pope
Screenwriter: Tchavdar Georgiev, Amanda Pope
Starring: Edward Asner, Sally Field, Ben Kingsley
Genre: Documentary

Plot Summary: The incredible true story of how one man, Igor Savitsky, saved a treasure trove of art worth millions of dollars, "hiding" it in a museum in the desert in Uzbekistan. A tireless collector of paintings that the Soviet government wanted destroyed, Savitsky traveled thousands of miles — scheming, plotting, pleading — doing whatever it took to get his hands on the art he so passionately wanted to preserve. As a result of his efforts, The Karakalpakstan State Museum of Art named after Savitsky, also known as the Nukus Museum - hosts the world's second largest collection of Russian Avant Garde Art (after the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg).