CANNES, May 16 — Three years ago, the Cannes Film Festival looked back at the turbulent life of the late British musician Amy Winehouse with Asif Kapadia’s Amy documentary, which went on to win an Oscar. In 2018, filmmaker Kevin Macdonald is focusing on another famous female artist, with his Whitney Houston documentary, showing in an out-of-competition screening today.

Watch the Whitney trailer on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Gitza8bPqVs

As well as being known for his Bafta-winning movie The Last King of Scotland, Macdonald is no stranger to documentaries. In 2000, the filmmaker won an Oscar for One Day in September, about Israeli athletes being taken hostage at the Munich Olympics in September 1972. Twelve years later, he made Marley, about the life, music and legacy of Bob Marley, one of the key figures of 20th-century music.

This year, the British director returns with a documentary about the life of Houston, who famously sang I Will Always Love You from the original soundtrack to the 1992 movie The Bodyguard, in which she also starred.

The American singer was one of the biggest-selling female solo artists of all time, selling more than 200 million albums. Houston also holds the record for the most consecutive number one singles in the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

Screening today at the Cannes Film Festival, Whitney is the first documentary officially authorised by the late singer’s family and notably looks at the artist’s personal and her struggles with addiction.

Whitney opens July 6 in US theatres. — AFP-Relaxnews