Entertainment

Aretha Franklin doc ‘Amazing Grace’ to finally see the light

Aretha Franklin doc ā€˜Amazing Graceā€™ to finally see the light

By ASSOCIATED PRESS

NEW YORK: More than 46 years after it was shot, the Aretha Franklin concert film ā€œAmazing Graceā€ will finally be released, ending one of the most tortured and long-running sagas in documentary film. The late gospel singerā€™s estate and film producers said Monday that ā€œAmazing Graceā€ will premiere Nov. 12 at the DOC NYC film festival with the full support of Franklinā€™s estate. The film, largely shot by Sydney Pollack, captures Franklinā€™s performance at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angelesā€™ Watts neighborhood in January 1972. The music from the two performances was released as a landmark double live album in 1972. But Pollackā€™s footage proved virtually impossible to edit because the filmmaker failed to sync the sound. After acquiring the filmā€™s rights from Pollack in 2007, producer Alan Elliott brought in a team to construct the film, which Elliott calls ā€œa labor of love.ā€ ā€œArethaā€™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,ā€ Elliot said in a statement. Franklin first sued Elliott in 2011 for planning to release the film without her permission. ā€œAmazing Graceā€ nearly saw the light of day in 2015, but it was yanked at the last minute from the Telluride and Toronto film festivals after Franklinā€™s attorneys obtained an injunction against its release. They argued the film was ā€œthe functional equivalent of replaying an entire Aretha Franklin concert,ā€ and couldnā€™t be screened without her consent. A Colorado court largely agreed, ruling in 2016 that the concert film didnā€™t constitute ā€œfair use,ā€ prompting a new round of negotiations. 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 ā€(Franklinā€™s) resolve for it not being shown is so intense, and I donā€™t think any us really understand it all the way.ā€ Franklin passed away in August. Pollack died in 2008. The late singerā€™s estate said ā€œAmazing Graceā€ was an important part of Franklinā€™s legacy. ā€³ā€˜Amazing Graceā€™ is the heart and soul of Aretha Franklin,ā€ Sabrina Owens, Franklinā€™s niece, said Monday. ā€œThis film is authentic and is my aunt at her core. She was a daughter of the church, she loved gospel music, and she always incorporated some form of sacred music in her concerts.ā€ An Oscar-qualifying release of ā€œAmazing Graceā€ is planned for this fall, with a larger rollout in theaters likely coming next year. The film doesnā€™t yet have distribution.