It’s been nearly two years since Amy Winehouse’s tragic death, and the “Rehab” singer has already been revived for a pair of posthumous albums, a divisive cover of “Back to Black” by Beyoncé and André 3000, and even a second death inquest. Now Winehouse’s life and career will serve as the subject of a high-profile documentary that’s set to be shopped around at next month’s Cannes Film Festival.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Universal Music and acclaimed documentarian Asif Kapadia (2010’s Senna, 2001’s The Warrior) are teaming up to bring the late Londoner’s life to the big screen. The as-yet-untitled project, which will reportedly include never-before-seen archival footage of Winehouse, is being co-produced by Universal Music and James Gay-Rees, who worked with Kapadia on Senna.
“This is an incredibly modern, emotional and relevant film that has the power to capture the zeitgeist and shine a light on the world we live in in a way that very few films can,” Kapadia and Gay-Rees said in a statement. “Amy was a once-in-a-generation talent who captured everyone’s attention; she wrote and sung from the heart, and everyone fell under her spell. But tragically, Amy seemed to fall apart under the relentless media attention, her troubled relationships, her global success and precarious lifestyle. As a society we celebrated her huge success, but then we were quick to judge her failings when it suited us.”
Focus Features International, a branch of Universal, hopes to find a foreign buyer for the film at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, taking place from May 15 to 26. Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby — the inspiration behind Beyoncé and André 3000’s aforementioned “Back to Black” cover — will open the annual showcase.
