Amy Winehouse biopic ‘Back to Black’ is a celebration, its makers say

Amy Winehouse‘s lyrics and music were the “guide” for director Sam Taylor-Johnson to bring the late singer’s story to the screen with «Back to Black».

The biography film feature follows her rise to fame Winehouse and depicts her relationships with her family and ex-husband Blake Fielder-Civil.

It comes nearly 13 years after the six-time Grammy Award winner died of alcohol poisoning at the age of 27. Considered one of the most talented singers of her generation, her untimely death shocked the music world.

Telling the story from Winehouse’s point of view was essential for Taylor-Johnson.

“I just wanted her to be in her point of view, to give her back her thinking because I felt like it had been taken away from her and she had become a victim of her tragedy,” she said at the film’s world premiere in London on Monday.

“I felt like I wanted to do it through her words, her music, kind of like she brought music back to life and celebrated it again, and that felt so important. I felt he deserved that.”

British actress Marisa Abela plays Winehouse, a role she found both terrifying and wonderful.

“You don’t get roles like this every day. And it’s not because she’s Amy Winehouse, a legend.”

“She was smart and funny and bold and brave, but also incredibly vulnerable and emotional and that’s what I wanted to bring to the role. I wanted to… remind people of the vulnerability of Amy, the girl behind the music.”

Abela, 27, who performs the “Rehab” singer’s songs in the film, said she took daily singing lessons for four months and studied Winehouse’s lyrics to prepare for the role.

“Back to Black” was approved by Amy Winehouse’s family, and Taylor-Johnson also met with Winehouse’s parents.

“I didn’t need anyone’s approval. And that’s important for me to say because it’s also important to say that I made exactly the movie I wanted to make. I had all the music approvals. But I wanted to meet with the family out of respect for “the fact that I made a film about their daughter and I felt wrong that I didn’t meet with them. And the fact that they’ve approved of it since they saw it, it’s really good,” said Taylor-Johnson.

“Back to Black” begins its worldwide theatrical release on April 11.