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, with the full support of Franklin’s estate.
The film, largely shot by Sydney Pollack, captures Franklin’s performance at the New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles’ Watts neighbourhood in January 1972.
The music from the two performances was released as a landmark double live album in 1972. But Pollack’s footage proved virtually impossible to edit because the filmmaker failed to sync the sound.
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 it was yanked at the last minute from the Telluride and Toronto film festivals after Franklin’s lawyers obtained an injunction against its release.
They argued the film was “the functional equivalent of replaying an entire Aretha Franklin concert”, and could not be screened without her consent.
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