“The Lost Leonardo,” a documentary that feels like a heist thriller, opens Sept. 17 at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Mary Riepma Ross Media Arts Center. Continuing to show is “The Loneliest Whale: the Search for 52.”

“Lost Leonardo” tells the inside story behind the “Salvator Mundi,” the most expensive painting ever sold at $450 million as a claimed-to-be, long lost masterpiece by Leonardo da Vinci.

Purchased from a shady New Orleans auction house, the painting’s story is powered by an insatiable quest for fame, money and power. And, as its price soars, so do questions about its authenticity. Ultimately, the film reveals how vested interests can become all-important and the truth is secondary.

“The Lost Leonardo,” which is rated PG-13 for nude art images, shows at the Ross through Sept. 30.

Trailer: "The Lost Leonardo"

“The Loneliest Whale: The Search for 52” explores human-sized efforts to understand our large aquatic counterparts. The documentary explores the whale’s lonely plight and what it can teach about our changing relationship to the oceans. The documentary is directed by Joshua Zeman and produced by Leonardo DiCaprio and Adrian Grenier.

Showing through Sept. 23, “The Loneliest Whale” is rated PG for brief smoking, unsettling whaling imagery and language.

Trailer: "The Loneliest Whale"

Show times are available online or by calling the Ross film information line at 402-472-5353.