“Amazing Grace” producers pulled the film from the Toronto Film Festival after a legal dispute broke out.
Franklin’s lawyers argued that director Sydney Pollack, who died in 2008, said that the 1972 footage of the singer wouldn’t be used for commercial purposes without her permission. After Pollack’s death, producer Alan Elliot worked to incorporate the footage into the film, prompting Franklin to file a lawsuit on Friday. The Toronto Film Festival said,“We are extremely disappointed that Toronto audiences will not be able to see this extraordinary piece of art,” the festival said in a statement. “The footage in the film is truly a cinematic treasure of 20th century music and we hope global audiences will have opportunity to experience this film once a resolution is found.” Other screenings of the film including ones at the Chicago Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival have also been cancelled until further notice.
-Nishat Baig
