A LONG-awaited Aretha Franklin concert film will premiere this month after one of the longest-running sagas in documentary film.
The late gospel singer’s estate and film producers said on Monday that Amazing Grace would air on November 12 at the DOC NYC film festival in New York City.
The film, largely shot by Sydney Pollack, captures Franklin’s performance at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles’ Watts neighbourhood in 1972.
After acquiring the film’s rights from Pollack in 2007, producer Alan Elliott brought in a team to construct the film, which Elliott calls “a labour of love”.
“Aretha’s fans will be enthralled by every moment of the film as her genius, her devotion to God and her spirit are present in every frame,” he said in a statement.
Franklin first sued Elliott in 2011 for planning to release the film without her permission.
Amazing Grace nearly saw the light of day in 2015, but Franklin’s lawyers obtained an injunction against its release.
Telluride also listed the film in its 2016 lineup, only to pull it yet again.
Last year, Telluride executive director Julie Huntsinger told Variety that “[Franklin’s] resolve for it not being shown is so intense, and I don’t think any us really understand it all the way.”
Franklin passed away in August, while Pollack died in 2008.
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