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Documentary on Franklin to finally be released

The Aretha Franklin concert film Amazing Grace will finally be released, more than 46 years after it was shot.

It will premiere on Nov 12 at the DOC NYC film festival, ending one of the longest-running sagas in documentary film, said the late singer's estate and film producers on Monday.

The Queen of Soul - famous for hits such as Respect and Chain Of Fools - died of cancer, aged 76, in August.

The footage of her two concerts at New Temple Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles in 1972 was shot by director Sydney Pollack, who later won two Oscars for Out Of Africa.

Her performances can be heard in a landmark double live album released in 1972. But the concert footage suffered from technical sound problems, the BBC reported.

In 2007, producer Alan Elliott acquired the rights from Pollack and, in what he calls "a labour of love", brought in a team to construct the film. After it was finished in 2011, Franklin and her lawyers blocked its release.

Following her death, her family members gave legal clearance.

"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," said Mr Elliot.

To qualify for the 2019 Academy Awards, the film will run in Los Angeles and New York for one week this year.

"Amazing Grace is the heart and soul of Aretha Franklin," her niece and estate's executor Sabrina Owens said.

"Her fans need to see this film, which is so pure and joyous."

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