Striving to make the crowning visionary masterpiece of his career, acclaimed animator Richard Williams spent nearly three decades of his life toiling away on The Thief And The Cobbler (a radical new project started in the Sixties, but finally slated for completion only after Williams’ Oscar for 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit), only to have it torn from his hands at the very last minute. Re-cut, re-voiced and re-drawn, the final product is a shadow of what “could have been” — and Thief’s tumultuous offscreen saga is the stuff of legend amongst historians, animation fans and film lovers. Using incredible footage from Williams’ lost epic, rare archival footage and interviews with Thief crew members, director Kevin Schreck brings this legendary chapter of cinema history to the screen for the very first time. — Cinefamily

For more information visit the Persistence of Vision Facebook page.

Tickets for Los Angeles screenings, June 27, 29, & July 1 & 2: http://www.cinefamily.org/films/persistence-of-vision/

Tickets for Melbourne screening, June 29: http://www.miaf.net/2013/pov.html

Tickets for Toronto screening, July 28: http://taafi.com/festival/films/features/?id=99