Photo Courtesy of Getty Images / Marina Amaral.
Greenwich Entertainment announced today that they have acquired the Billie Holiday documentary Billie. The doc, written and directed by James Erskine (The White Room), premiered at the Telluride Film Festival and was later received at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Billie features legendary performances of the great singer painstakingly restored in color for the first time. It also offers unique interviews detailing her life as she became one of the most beloved jazz singers in American history.
“Billie Holiday’s rare and dynamic voice speaks to us from across the American century, and yet the songs she sang and the urgency with which she sang them are as vital to contemporary audiences as when they were first performed,” said Erskine. “Billie’s story is more than a biography, but a study of the politics of cultural repression and it’s a thrill to be partnering with Greenwich in bringing Billie’s story – the highs and the lows – to the big screen in a new and immediate way.”
The documentary received warm notices out of Telluride. Greenwich Entertainment plans distribution in theaters nationwide later this year.