Andy Garcia starring in Modigliani

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Modigliani, the much anticipated film about one of the worldâ€™s most gifted artists, Amedeo Modigliani, will open July 8, in select local theatres for a special engagement at Regal South Beach 18/Miami, Sunrise Cinemas at Sunrise 11/Ft. Lauderdale, and Regal Shadowwood 18/Boca Raton. The film stars Andy Garcia, in a tour-de-force performance, as the artist himself, Modigliani.

"Itâ€™s quite possibly my most favorite role," said Garcia, nominated for an Academy Award for his 1990 role as Vincent Corleone in Frances Ford Coppolaâ€™s The Godfather: Part III. He added, "Iâ€™m very proud to bring Modigliani home to South Florida."

Garcia, at 5 years of age, fled his native Cuba with his family after the Bay of Pigs invasion. They settled in Miami, where he grew up. Garcia developed an interest in performing after high school. Once graduating from Florida International University, he moved to L.A. Since then, Garcia has starred in some of Hollywoodâ€™s most memorable films including The Untouchables, Black Rain, When A Man Loves A Woman, and Oceans 11 among others. Garcia is proud of his heritage which has influenced his life and work. One such case is his portrayal of renowned Cuban trumpet player, Arturo Sandoval, in For Love or Country: The Arturo Sandoval Story.

The film, Modigliani, begins in Paris, right after the First World War. Modigliani, a Jew has fallen in love with a young and beautiful Catholic girl named Jeanne (Elsa Zylberstein). When the couple has an illegitimate child together, Jeanneâ€™s bigoted parents send the baby to a faraway convent to be raised by nuns.

Distraught, destitute and driven to retrieve and raise his child, Modigliani entertains the notion of entering an annual art contest in Paris. Prize money and a guaranteed career await the winner. Neither Modigliani, nor his friend and rival, Pablo Picasso, (Omid Djalili) have ever competed like that before, believing that it is beneath true artists like themselves. But with the welfare of his child on the line, Modigliani enters the competition in a drunken and drug-induced tirade. Picasso follows suit and all of Paris is aflutter with excitement at who will win.

Emotionally-charged and bathed in absinthe green, Modigliani is the decadent portrayal of this tortured genius, his debilitating addictions and overwhelming passion. The film delivers nothing short of deeply heartfelt tribute to the artist.

Written and directed by Mick Davis, Modigliani is produced by Philippe Martinez, Stephanie Martinez-Campeau, Andre Djaoui and Alan Latham. Modigliani is a presentation of Bauer Martinez Studios, represented by Karinne Behr.

Modigliani was an official Gala Selection at the Toronto Film Festival and chosen to open the Miami International Film Festival.

Recently, Bauer Martinez Studios opened a production office in Clearwater and they plan to produce films in Florida. "We will make movies in Florida, this year, you can count on that," said Martinez.

Philippe Martinez founded Bauer Martinez Studios and has produced over 20 films including Modigliani and the action-packed Wake of Death starring Jean-Claude Van Damme which he also directed, Land of The Blind starring Raph Fiennes and Donald Sutherland, Irish Jam (Starring Eddie Griffin) The Piano Player (Christopher Lambert, Dennis Hopper), Out of Season (Dennis Hopper, Gina Gershon), Citizen Verdict (Jerry Springer, Armand Assante, Roy Scheider)The Defender (Dolph Lundgren, Jerry Springer,) Dot Kill (Armand Assante, Directed by John Irvin) and House of 9 (Dennis Hopper, Kelly Brook).