Aretha Franklin wins court order to block screening of documentary at Colorado film festival

DENVER – A federal judge is preventing The Telluride Film Festival from screening a documentary about a 1972 Aretha Franklin concert without the singer’s consent.

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, which concludes Monday.

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