Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller’s tribute to the man born with the gift of a golden voice has found a home. Sony Pictures Classics acquired all rights in all media worldwide, excluding France and Germany, to “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song.” A press release announced the news.
Featuring previously unseen personal notebooks, journals, photographs, performance footage, and rare audio recordings and interviews, the doc was approved by Cohen before his death in 2016. The Venice and Telluride title digs deep into the Canadian singer, poet, and novelist’s best known song, “Hallelujah,” “from its origins, to its poor initial reception, to its resurrection, and to its influence on other artists, finally becoming one of the most recognized and lionized songs of all time,” the release details.
“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, a Journey, a Song” was inspired by Alan Light’s book “The Holy or the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley & the Unlikely Ascent of Hallelujah.” The film includes interviews with Rufus Wainwright, Brandi Carlile, Judy Collins, and others who have all recorded and performed versions of “Hallelujah.”
“We loved this film from the first moment we saw it. ‘Hallelujah’ is one of the great music movies about a song and a supreme artist, brought to the screen beautifully by Dan and Dayna. Audiences everywhere will adore and embrace this movie,” said Sony Pictures Classics.
Goldfine and Geller added, “From the outset, our vision for ‘Hallelujah’ has centered on a sustained worldwide theatrical release and so this partnership with Sony Pictures Classics is a dream come true. We know that the SPC team has the resources and talent to make ‘Hallelujah’ a success and to foster a kind of global cultural conversation about the richness of Leonard Cohen’s spiritual journey and the epic story of his most beloved song. We could not be happier.”
The long-time collaborators’ films have led to an Emmy, a DGA Award nomination, and other honors. Their credits include “The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden,” “Ballets Russes,” and “Kids of Survival.”
