Aretha Franklin reacts to court order blocking screening of documentary at film festival

DENVER – Aretha Franklin is expressing her relief after a federal judge blocked The Telluride Film Festival screening of a documentary about a 1972 concert without the singer’s consent.

Franklin says in a statement issued Saturday: “Justice, respect and what is right prevailed and one’s right to own their own self-image.”

U.S. District Judge John L. Kane issued his order in Denver about three hours before the Friday night screening of “Amazing Grace.” Franklin testified by telephone from Detroit that she had objected to use of the concert footage in the documentary for years.

Attorneys for the film festival argued that a recently discovered 1968 contract that Franklin signed allowed the use of the footage. But Kane said that document appeared to only relate to her music recordings.

The documentary was scheduled to have three screenings at the film festival.