The family of late singer Amy Winehouse is no longer supporting documentary “Amy,” which is set to debut at the Cannes Film Festival next month. As a matter of fact, they’re now publicly speaking out about the project.
Mitch Winehouse and family claim that the film “is both misleading and contains some basic untruths.”
As a result, the family wants to “disassociate themselves from the forthcoming film,” they said in a recent statement, which is posted in its entirety below.
Other buzzy adjectives used to describe the doc in the lengthy statement include “unfounded” and “unbalanced.”
The film initially had the Winehouse family support, until they did not like what they saw on screen.
Specifically, the Winehouses took issue with director Asif Kapadia’s apparent on-screen claim that the family did not support the Grammy winner when she needed them most.
“The narrative is formed by the testimony of a narrow sample of Amy’s associates, many of whom had nothing to do with her in the last years of her life,” the family asserted. “Counter views expressed to the filmmakers did not make the final cut.”
The surviving Winehouse family is reportedly considering legal action against the filmmakers.
Winehouse died in July 2011 from alcohol poisoning. She was 27.
Read the full Winehouse family statement below:
The Winehouse family would like to disassociate themselves from the forthcoming film about their much missed and beloved Amy. The documentary about her life will be released this summer and receive its premiere at the Cannes Film Festival.
They feel that the film is a missed opportunity to celebrate her life and talent and that it is both misleading and contains some basic untruths. There are specific allegations made against family and management that are unfounded and unbalanced. The narrative is formed by the testimony of a narrow sample of Amy’s associates, many of whom had nothing to dowith her in the last years of her life. Counter views expressed to the filmmakers did not make the final cut.
Fundamentally, the Winehouse family believes that the film does a disservice to individuals and families suffering from the complicated affliction of addiction. By misunderstanding the condition and its treatment, the film suggests for instance that not enough was done for Amy, that her family and management pushed her into performing or did not do enough to help her. In reality, the filmmakers were told of a huge effort from all concerned to help Amy at all stages of her illness and their constant presence in her life throughout, as well as that of many excellent medical professionals.
As many families know, addiction cannot begin to be treated properly until the individual helps themselves and there is no ‘one size fits all’ solution. Furthermore, Amy was an adult who could never be told what she could and could not do. Through their work with the Amy Winehouse Foundation, Amy’s family have met many others enduring through the same struggle that they endured and have helped hundreds of disadvantaged young people in Amy’s name. They will continue to do so and hope their work creates more understanding of a terrible illness.