A documentary based on the life and death of the late, great rebellious soul singer Amy Winehouse is sitting in the film incubator. Asif Kapadia, the award-winning director of Senna, will reportedly weave never-before-seen archival footage into his narrative of Winehouse’s musical ascent and tragic decline.

The Wino doc has yet to be titled, because it has yet to be sold—international buyers will bid at the Cannes Film Festival in May. According to the New York Times‘ ArtsBeat blog, the Winehouse family said that although they had been approached many times by filmmakers interested in telling Amy’s story, they believed Kapadia and the film’s producer, Gay-Rees, would “look at Amy’s story sensitively, honestly and without sensationalizing her.”

Winehouse, a London-born Jew, was found dead at her home from alcohol poisoning in July 2011 at the age of 27. No doubt the singer’s fans will be waiting with bated breath for a glimpse at the new footage—hopefully the film will bring with it some unreleased Winehouse tracks too.

In other Winehouse news, Beyonce recorded a version of the late artist’s hit song, “Back to Black” for the upcoming blockbuster film, The Great Gatsby, which Winehouse’s father, Mitch, was reportedly not happy about. “I don’t think she brings anything to it,” he told the British press, adding, “I wasn’t asked for my permission if they could record it.”

He has since agreed to its use in the film, but only if the studio pays up: “They have got to pay for the privilege, which is what they are doing. I can’t tell you how much it is but it’s a lot of money.”

(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

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On the first anniversary of Amy Winehouse’s death, her family lit a yahrzeit candle as fans, fellow artists, and media outlets alike paid tribute to the powerhouse singer and her soulful legacy.

In a moving, picture filled article on Winehouse, who died of accidental alcohol poisoning at age 27, The Guardian‘s Tim Jonze writes:

[Bill] Ashton thinks the biggest contributing factor to her talent was the fact that her father, Mitch, was a Jewish taxi driver. “They’ve got the best musical taste of anyone,” he says. “They’re extremely discerning, and their taste runs through very good singers. When NYJO [National Youth Jazz Orchestra] did concerts at the Barbican, accompanying people like Buddy Greco, Rosemary Clooney or Peggy Lee, the entire audience was Jewish taxi drivers.”

In April 2011, three months before Winehouse died, Dvora Meyers wrote presciently about the troubled singer in Tablet Magazine, articulating the strong influence Winehouse’s Jewish upbringing had on her music. “Though she cloaked herself in the style and sound of girl groups from 40 years ago, Winehouse brought a thoroughly modern—and Jewish—sensibility to her lyrics and performances,” Meyers wrote. “She spoke not of love and romance, as her predecessors did, but of addictions, sex, and every Jewish girl’s favorite emotion: guilt.”

Meyers, who once dressed up as Winehouse for Purim, even compared the regretful, if inevitable, lyrics of “You Know I’m No Good” to the intense, methodical chest-pounding of Yom Kippur synagogue-goers:

And for the sin of cheating on my boyfriend.

And for the sin of thinking of you when I’m trying to please a new guy.

And for the sin of cheating. Yet again.

Image credit: Harper Collins

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