Kapadia’s film, Amy — which premiered at Cannes in May to rave reviews and begins rolling out across America in early July — tells the story of the troubled singer in unprecedented depth. Kapadia used unseen archival footage and more than 100 newly recorded interviews to document her talent and her painful unraveling, which culminated with her death at age 27 due to alcohol toxicity.
A British filmmaker best known for Senna, his 2010 film about a Brazilian racing champion, Kapadia says he knew little about Winehouse when he took on the project. “What I learned was what a creative, intelligent, funny human being she was,” he says. “I didn’t know any of that. I don’t know if anyone did.”
As he slowly won the trust of those close to Winehouse — including her best friend, her manager and Blake Fielder-Civil, her ex-husband — they began handing over the rare photos and video clips that make up much of the film. Early scenes, like a teenage Winehouse belting “Happy Birthday” at a friend’s 14th birthday party, reveal the singer’s natural talent, while the latter half of the film documents her agonizing drug problems. Less well-known to the public is her struggle with bulimia, which likely played a significant role in her early death by weakening her heart. “She’d have meetings in restaurants and be eating and eating, but she didn’t have anything to her body mass,” Kapadia says.
One powerful scene shows Winehouse laying down vocals for “Back to Black” with producer Mark Ronson. “That came to us purely by chance,” says Kapadia. “We heard a rumor that someone was filming during the session, and we eventually found it.”