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By: J P
Morgan
Miami Beach – CityDebate.Com
– December 12, 2009 -
Cinepro Pictures/Philippe Martinez Productions has acquired the rights
to film a feature length production
 based
on the controversial book “Sins of South Beach” by former Miami
Beach Mayor Alex Daoud.
Philippe
Martinez, the internationally renowned producer of over 30 films including
“Modigliani” starring Andy Garcia, “I Could Never be Your Woman” starring
Michelle Pfeiffer and “The Flock” starring Richard Gere, acquired the
rights from LionShark Entertainment, a subsidiary of BMax Holdings, which
will also serve as executive producers on the project. Some filming will
take place in Miami Beach.
“In the book
I was instantly struck by not only the enigmatic and contradictory nature
of Mayor Daoud, but how the various story lines interconnect during such a
pivotal time in one of the world’s great cities,” says Martinez. “Alex was
a larger than life personality whose impact on Miami Beach is truly part
of America’s history.”
Daoud,
three-term mayor of Miami Beach, was a driving force behind the rebirth of
the city, but ultimately served time in Federal prison for corruption.
“The decadence suggested by the book’s title is what initially drew me to
read ‘Sins of South Beach’,” said Ben Rizzo, principal partner of
BMax, “but the depth of the story and the incredible real-life characters
are the reasons that I immediately knew this would make a magnificent
movie.”
Martinez
says,”Daoud, tells a story chock-full of sex, drugs, violence, corruption,
and murder that ultimately exploded into the transformation of the South
Beach that we now know today. Much like Miami Beach itself, Daoud was a
study in contrasts: the consummate public servant who routinely took
drastic actions to protect and serve citizens, while simultaneously
straddling the lines of propriety and legality. But, it is also obvious to
me that there were many other individuals who were just as corrupt, if not
more so, than Alex, and who reaped benefits far beyond that of Mayor
Daoud. Therefore, I’m truly excited to bring this riveting story to the
screen and fully develop those characters as well.”
“Transforming ‘Sins of South Beach’ into a movie with the caliber of a
filmmaker like Philippe Martinez is the fulfillment of a life-long dream,”
says Alex Daoud. “The sacrifice, the sufferings, and the sorrows of the
citizens of Miami Beach during the Mariel crime wave were horrific. Now
their stories will be immortalized on the big screen.”
http://sinsofsouthbeach.com/
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