WHYY to air long-time Glenside resident Joe Medeiros’ award-winning documentary on August 28

The award-winning documentary Mona Lisa is Missing will air on WHYY Philadelphia on Sunday, August 28th at 6:00pm. The brainchild of writer/director Joseph Medeiros, the 56-minute made-for-TV version features the story of Vincenzo Peruggia’s 1911 theft of the Mona Lisa painting.

The film details the story of how Peruggia, a Paris laborer, was able to pull off a day-time robbery of the world’s most famous painting in one of the world’s greatest museums.

“I needed the answer to my unresolved question: ‘Why did Peruggia do what he did?’” Medeiros said.

“We’ve been waiting so long for local PBS stations across the nation to air our award-winning
documentary, Mona Lisa Is Missing,” Medeiros said, “that we were gob smacked that it’s finally happening.”

“At WHYY, we’re always on the hunt for interesting and entertaining programs that
showcase local filmmakers or those with ties to our community,” said Betsy Braun, Director of
Programming, WHYY. “Mona Lisa is Missing takes it one step further telling the story of the heist of
one of the most famous art icons in history in a creative and humorous way. We’re excited to bring
this film to our audience.”

Medeiros, a Temple University graduate and the former head writer for The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, lived in Glenside from 1979 -1992 and was a well-known figure in the community.

More information about the documentary can be found here.