A breath-taking program of more than 30 feature films will explore one of cinema’s most beloved crime subgenres – the heist – at the Australian Cinémathèque, Gallery of Modern Art (GOMA) from 29 April to 26 June.

Queensland Art Gallery | Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA) Director Chris Saines said tickets were on sale now for ‘The Art of the Heist’, an exhilarating journey across diverse cinematic styles from caper, action and film noir to martial arts and comedy.

‘With a seductive mix of gangster cool and cerebral ingenuity, ‘The Art of the Heist’ celebrates films that feature a crafty ensemble of players, a high stakes plan and the lure of the ultimate reward,’ Mr Saines said.

‘QAGOMA’s Australian Cinémathèque presents curated programs, genre showcases and director retrospectives covering the world of film from crowd-pleasing fan favourites and cult classics to hard-to-find international cinema, rare 35mm prints and silent films with live musical accompaniment.

‘This program’s unmissable line-up opens with two genre touchstones: Jules Dassin’s twist-filled masterpiece Rififi 1955, about four criminals plotting one last job; and Stanley Kubrick’s 1956 noir classic The Killing, a suspenseful tale of a meticulously planned race-track robbery.

‘Cinema goers will be enthralled by this program which also includes such iconic films as The Asphalt Jungle 1950 directed by John Huston, Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle) 1970 by French director Jean-Pierre Melville, Quentin Tarantino’s Reservoir Dogs 1992 and Steve McQueen’s women-led caper Widows 2018,’ Mr Saines said.

Rosie Hays, Associate Curator, Australian Cinémathèque, QAGOMA and curator of ‘The Art of the Heist’ said style played a leading role in heist films such as Alfred Hitchcock’s To Catch a Thief 1955 starring Grace Kelly and Cary Grant; William Wyler’s elegant How to Steal a Million 1966 featuring Audrey Hepburn; and French New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard’s joyously thrilling gangster film Bande à part (Band of Outsiders) 1964, set in the streets of Paris.

‘Other essential entries in ‘The Art of the Heist’ are the superbly funny British caper The Italian Job 1969 starring Michael Caine; The Thomas Crown Affair 1968, a dazzling game of cat-and-mouse intrigue with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway; and Joseph Shaw's electrifying New York subway stick‑up The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 1974.

‘Unexpected gems showcasing a unique take on a heist include Jules Dassin’s cheeky European romp Topkapi 1964 with the indomitable Melina Mercouri; an all-woman crew staging a strip club heist in Lorene Scafia’s Hustlers 2019; Taiwanese director King Hu’s complex monastery-set robbery Raining in the Mountain 1979; and the high octane, one-take German film Victoria 2015.

‘The program closes with the charming Australian comedy Malcolm 1986, a tale of a newly unemployed, chronically shy mechanical genius and a bank robbery, starring Colin Friels,’ Ms Hays said.

‘The Art of the Heist’ tickets are available to purchase now at https://www.qagoma.qld.gov.au/whats-on/cinema/programs/the-art-of-the‑heist

QAGOMA acknowledges the generous assistance of the National Film and Sound Archive, Canberra; and the Taiwan Film and Audiovisual Institute, Taipei in providing materials for this program.

‘The Art of the Heist’ includes the following films:

• The Asphalt Jungle 1950 / Dir: John Huston
• Armoured Car Robbery 1950 / Dir: Richard Fleisher
• The Lavender Hill Mob 1951 / Dir: Charles Crichton
• Rififi 1955 / Dir: Jules Dassin
• To Catch a Thief 1955 / Dir: Alfred Hitchcock
• Bob le Flambeur 1956 / Dir: Jean-Pierre Melville
• The Killing 1956 / Dir: Stanley Kubrick
• Bande à part (Band of Outsiders) 1964 / Dir: Jean-Luc Godard
• Topkapi 1964 / Dir: Jules Dassin
• Cruel Gun Story 1964 / Dir: Takumi Furukawa
• How to Steal a Million 1966 / Dir: William Wyler
• The Thomas Crown Affair 1968 / Dir: Norman Jewison
• The Italian Job 1969 / Dir: Peter Collinson
• Le Cercle Rouge (The Red Circle) 1970 / Dir: Jean-Pierre Melville
• The Sting 1973 / Dir: George Roy Hill
• The Friends of Eddie Coyle 1973 / Dir: Peter Yates
• The Taking of Pelham One Two Three 1974 / Dir: Joseph Sargent
• Dog Day Afternoon 1975 / Dir: Sidney Lumet
• Raining in the Mountain 1979 / Dir: King Hu
• Thief 1981 / Dir: Michael Mann
• Malcolm 1986 / Dir: Nadia Tass
• Reservoir Dogs 1992 / Dir: Quentin Tarantino
• Heat 1994 / Dir: Michael Mann
• Mission: Impossible 1996 / Dir: Brian De Palma
• Bottle Rocket 1996 / Dir: Wes Anderson
• Sexy Beast 2000 / Dir: Jonathan Glazer
• Oceans 11 2001 / Dir: Steven Soderbergh
• The Hard Word 2002 / Dir: Scott Roberts
• Fast Five 2011 / Dir: Justin Lin
• Drive 2011 / Dir: Nicolas Winding Refn
• Victoria 2015 / Dir: Sebastian Schipper
• Logan Lucky 2017 / Dir: Steven Soderbergh
• Widows 2018 / Dir: Steve McQueen
• Hustlers 2019 / Dir: Lorene Scafaria
• Kajillionaire 2020 / Dir: Miranda July

Screenings take place Wednesday and Friday nights, and Saturday and Sunday matinees.