Vertical Entertainment has acquired the North American distribution rights to Johnny Depp’s second directorial feature, Modi. The film follows Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani as he attempts to find someplace that will accept his art. Over the course of three days, he must navigate World War I France while dodging French police and art critics. The film is based on true events, but more specifically the play Modigliani by Dennis McIntyre. There are two other film adaptation of this story with Montparnasse 19 in 1958 and Modigliani in 2004.
The film stars Riccardo Scamarcio (John Wick: Chapter 2, A Haunting in Venice) in the lead role. It also stars Al Pacino, Bruno Gouery, Ryan McParland, Antonia Desplat and Stephen Graham. Modi premiered at the San Sebastián International Film Festival last year and released publicly in Italy last November. Vertical now plans to release the film in the United States.
Vertical Entertainment has a history of picking up and releasing smaller films in theaters. Their recent releases include The Threesome, In the Lost Lands, Eden, and The Order. Vertical SVP of Acquisitions Tony Piantedosi had this to say after acquiring the rights to the film. “Johnny has crafted a whirlwind of a film that captures the vibrant artistic community of that moment in history, as well as the opposing forces that tried to stifle them. Riccardo’s performance encapsulates that frustration and jubilation, carrying the film on his charming, swaying shoulders. We look forward to presenting the film to North American audiences.”
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