“You look around and see a world that cannot be made sense of — you either raise your fist, or you say ‘hallelujah,'” Leonard Cohen observes in a new trailer for “Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song.” From directors Dayna Goldfine and Dan Geller, the documentary pays tribute to the late singer-songwriter, poet, and novelist and his seminal, oft-covered anthem, “Hallelujah.” It weaves together “three creative strands: [Cohen] and his times; the song’s dramatic journey from record label reject to chart-topping hit; and moving testimonies from major recording artists for whom ‘Hallelujah’ has become a personal touchstone,” per the film’s synopsis.
The spot pays particular attention to Cohen’s spirituality. He is described as a “seeker.” “Unlocking the mysteries of life was his primary preoccupation,” we’re told.
Cohen, whose other best known songs include “Suzanne,” “So Long, Marianne,” and “Famous Blue Raincoat,” died in 2016.
Goldfine and Geller’s credits include “The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden,” “Ballets Russes,” and “Kids of Survival.”
“Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song” is making its New York premiere at Tribeca Film Festival June 12. The doc, which features never-before-seen archival material including Cohen’s personal notebooks, journals, and photographs, and performance footage, rare audio recordings, and interviews, hits theaters in NY and LA July 1.
