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Ugo, An Artist at War

After her husband Ugo Giannini dies, Maxine Giannini finally enters his closed art studio and discovers carefully preserved letters and drawings from his service during World War Two. Among the drawings, the only known D-Day sketches from that fateful day on Bloody Omaha Beach. For the next 30 years, Maxine dedicates her life sharing the legacy of Ugo, an artist that went to war.

  • Steve Nemsick
    Director
  • Steve Nemsick
    Writer
  • Allan Spencer Wall
    Writer
  • Chris Scarff
    Producer
  • Maxine Giannini
    Producer
  • Steve Nemsick
    Producer
  • Allan Spencer Wall
    Producer
  • Maxine Giannini
    Key Cast
    "Maxine"
  • Mark Giannini
    Key Cast
    "Mark"
  • John C McManus
    Key Cast
  • Dorothea de la Houssaye
    Key Cast
  • Neil Printz
    Key Cast
  • Jean Du Chatenet
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 40 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    November 30, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    250,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    France, United States
  • Language:
    English, French
  • Shooting Format:
    2K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Steve Nemsick

Award winning filmmaker Steve Nemsick has filmed a vast array of projects around the world - including - Shakespeare in war torn Bosnia, stunt bikers in Tokyo, rape victims in Mexico, white power members in Australia, recently sheltered people in NYC and many others.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Hopefully every filmmaker finds that one film they absolutely have to make. This is mine.

I was part of the great Covid migration out of New York City in 2020. My young family and I landed on a wonderful street in New Jersey. Within a year I created our street's first ever block party. To do so I had to go door to door to collect signatures and that's when I met my neighbor Maxine Giannini.
She was a spry 92 year old at the time and she took my son to her piano and played him Clair de Lune. I was captivated by the paintings on the walls. And then I saw Maxine’s book, Drawing D-Day: An Artist’s Journey Through War. The story of her deceased husband Ugo - a WW2 hero - a reclusive and undiscovered master painter who studied under Fernand Léger - and the only person to draw the D-Day landing on Bloody Omaha Beach during the first assault wave. His letters home during the war are on par with Hemingway, Twain, or Fitzgeralld. His story is comprehensive and incredible.
I was a first time home owner with a fixer upper, two sons under age 6 and my wife and I were not prepared to take on a documentary. But I jumped right in. You see, my childhood road is named after a captain from the revolutionary war. My hometown, Pound Ridge, NY, was raided during that war. I had great uncles who fought in WW2. I’ve always been fascinated by American military history. And I’ve always been an artist. After high school I actually applied to an art school and to West Point.
Ugo’s dying wish was for his story - a soldiers story - to be told. In doing so we reveal Maxine’s joie de vivre. She was “the last of the Geisha’s” - constantly pushing back against societal norms. What emerged was a great American love story - two beautiful souls from different cultures and classes. Ugo, 4th son of Italian immigrants, dad a tailor, mom an opera singer - moved 11 times during the depression. Maxine, daughter of a billiards champion / hustler, grew up in a middle class Jewish neighborhood. It wasn’t always easy, but it was always beautiful.
The Giannini’s are born archivists and they have materials to go with their wonderful stories.

I was on my own for the first two years of filming and without a budget. In the past year I've secured a great producer and executive producer and we're nearing the finish line on an amazing story.