Documentary about deceased British singer Amy Winehouse in the works

n">(Reuters) - A documentary is in the works about the late British soul singer Amy Winehouse and it features previously unseen material, the film's distributor said on Wednesday.

The film, which will include archival footage never seen by the public, will be directed by Briton Asif Kapadia, whose 2010 film "Senna," about Brazilian auto racer Ayrton Senna, won a BAFTA for best documentary.

The Grammy-winning singer died in 2011 at the age 27 from alcohol poisoning. Winehouse's 2006 album "Back to Black" made her an international star.

London-born Winehouse, who struggled with drug and alcohol addiction, is credited in part with reviving the popularity of soul music.

"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," Kapadia and the film's producer James Gay-Rees said in a joint statement.

"But tragically, Amy seemed to fall apart under the relentless media attention, her troubled relationships, her global success and precarious lifestyle," Kapadia and Gay-Rees added. "As a society, we celebrated her huge success, but then we were quick to judge her failings when it suited us."

The film, which does not yet have a title, will be shopped to foreign buyers at the Cannes Film Festival in May, distributor Focus Features International said.

Focus Features International is part of NBCUniversal, which is owned by Comcast Corp.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; editing by Jill Serjeant and Stacey Joyce)

View the original article here

Showtime announces Suge Knight documentary (Reuters)

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) – Controversial Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight, Jr. will be the subject of a feature-length documentary to be produced and aired on Showtime, the network announced today.

The film, tentatively titled "Suge Knight," will be directed by "Training Day" filmmaker Antoine Fuqua.

The pay cable network says it will be the first of a several Showtime-produced documentaries that "will spotlight iconic and controversial figures from talented and prestigious filmmakers."

Fuqua will also co-produce the documentary, with Bradley J. Fischer, whose credits include "Black Swan," "Shutter Island" and "Zodiac." David Prior, Laeta Kalogridis, James Vanderbilt, Lisa Remington and Edward McGurn will executive-producers, while journalist Chuck Philips will serve as co-producer.

In the announcement, Fischer promised to deliver a warts-and-all view of Knight that others have shied away from.

"Suge Knight's reputation and rise to power in the music business has become the stuff of legend, and he remains one of the entertainment industry's most provocative and enduring myths," said Fischer. "But while his name elicits an immediate and powerful reaction from people around the world, very few can legitimately claim to know the man. Antoine Fuqua and I are thrilled to be partnering with Showtime to tell this remarkable story and take audiences behind a curtain that most have been terrified to even approach."

Not that the documentary doesn't come with its subject's cooperation: Knight, through his new music company Black Kapital, will spearhead the soundtrack.

Knight has had a particularly volatile career and history, with a troubled past that includes several arrests and the bankruptcy of Death Row.

View the original article here

Showtime announces Suge Knight documentary

By Tim Kenneally

Tue Sep 27, 2011 6:38pm EDT

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Controversial Death Row Records co-founder Marion "Suge" Knight, Jr. will be the subject of a feature-length documentary to be produced and aired on Showtime, the network announced today.

The film, tentatively titled "Suge Knight," will be directed by "Training Day" filmmaker Antoine Fuqua.

The pay cable network says it will be the first of a several Showtime-produced documentaries that "will spotlight iconic and controversial figures from talented and prestigious filmmakers."

Fuqua will also co-produce the documentary, with Bradley J. Fischer, whose credits include "Black Swan," "Shutter Island" and "Zodiac." David Prior, Laeta Kalogridis, James Vanderbilt, Lisa Remington and Edward McGurn will executive-producers, while journalist Chuck Philips will serve as co-producer.

In the announcement, Fischer promised to deliver a warts-and-all view of Knight that others have shied away from.

"Suge Knight's reputation and rise to power in the music business has become the stuff of legend, and he remains one of the entertainment industry's most provocative and enduring myths," said Fischer. "But while his name elicits an immediate and powerful reaction from people around the world, very few can legitimately claim to know the man. Antoine Fuqua and I are thrilled to be partnering with Showtime to tell this remarkable story and take audiences behind a curtain that most have been terrified to even approach."

Not that the documentary doesn't come with its subject's cooperation: Knight, through his new music company Black Kapital, will spearhead the soundtrack.

Knight has had a particularly volatile career and history, with a troubled past that includes several arrests and the bankruptcy of Death Row.

View the original article here