Special programme “It’s a Mad Mad Mad World"  

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Smash and Grab: The Story of the Pink Panthers

Organised crime in the 21st century looks nothing like “The Godfather”: no boss at the helm, no hierarchical structure, no system of loyalty. It is therefore nothing short of extraordinary that Havana Marking manages to track down five Pink Panther members, a loose network of the most successful jewel thieves of all time  who cooperate on a global, agile scale. Veiled beneath deftly animated proxies, they provide an all-access look at an underworld driven by fast wealth and paranoia. Against the backdrop of a newly balkanised Yugoslavia of the mid-1990s, they recreate the desperation caused by rising ethnic hatred and poverty; a black market of drugs, sex, and smuggling was growing, spreading into Western Europe with the refugees. But as the thieves brazenly commit their crimes across the world - Europe, Asia and UAE - Interpol and global police forces are tightening their grip. As many of the criminals responsible for are caught and extradited, this film asks: Is this the end of the Pink Panthers?

Festivals

Sheffield Doc/Fest (2013)
East End Film Festival, UK (2013)
IDFA International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (2012)

Havana Marking

Havana Marking is a British producer and director of documentary films. She is best known for the 2009 film which won Best Director and the Audience Award at the Sundance Film Festival. She has made films for HBO and More4, and is also an executive producer on numerous films. Marking is the director at the British independent film company Roast Beef Productions. Finally, her articles and photographs have been published in the Guardian, The Observer and the Telegraph.

Selected Filmography

Silencing the Song: An Afghan Fallen Star (2011)
Afghan Star (2010)
Vote Afghanistan! (2009) 

Information

Director: Havana Marking
Cinematography: Richard Gillespie, Joshua Z. Weinstein
Music: Simon Russell
Sound: Antony Bayman
Animation: Tony Comley
Film Editing: Joby Gee
Producers: Mike Lerner, Havana Marking
Production: Roast Beef Productions
Great Britain, USA, Serbia and Montenegro, 2012, 89 min.