The documentary Amazing Grace is turning into an amazing legal drama.
The Sydney Pollack-directed film about Aretha Franklin recording her eponymous 1972 album -- shot in the '70s but never released due to its unsynchronized footage and sound -- has been pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival lineup.
The festival released a statement confirming the cancellation on its site.
[seealso slug="aretha-franklin-telluride"]
We are sad to announce that Sydney Pollacks' AMAZING GRACE will no longer play #TIFF15 http://t.co/li8YG0wtao pic.twitter.com/Sv1dWGlD7e— TIFF (@TIFF_NET) September 8, 2015
“We are extremely disappointed that Toronto audiences will not be able to see this extraordinary piece of art," the statement reads. "The footage in the film is truly a cinematic treasure of twentieth century music and we hope global audiences will have opportunity to experience this film once a resolution is found.”
Ticketholders will now be shown screenings of the film Northern Soul instead.
Franklin and her legal team have been working extremely hard to suppress the documentary's release, previously taking legal action to stop the film from being shown at the Telluride Film Festival.
In a statement obtained by Mashable, the legal filing stated that Franklin "has never given permission for the use of this footage in any commercial context and has not authorized the public release of the footage."
Until Franklin changes her mind, prospects for future screenings of Amazing Grace aren't looking too bright.