Before “Back to Black” hits German cinemas on April 18th, you can now see the first trailer for the film about the British soul singer Amy Winehouse.
Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson (“Fifty Shades of Grey”), the film stars Marisa Abela (“Industry”) and explores the singer’s eventful years in London and her rise in the industry. The film, which was approved by Amy Winehouse’s family, also includes many of her hits, but they have been re-sung by Abela.
Other actors in “Back to Black” include Jack O’Connell, Eddie Marsan and Lesley Manville.
“She doesn’t embody Amy, she lives in her.”
Taylor-Johnson raves about the leading actress in a press release: “Discovering a talent like Marisa Abela is like finding gold dust. When she looked into the camera at her first audition, I knew she was the perfect actress for the role of Amy Winehouse. She put in a tremendous amount of work, paying attention to every detail and training for hours every day to be able to sing throughout the entire film. She doesn’t embody Amy, she lives within her.”
With encouragement from parents
In December 2023, the singer’s parents said in a statement: “We are delighted that ‘StudioCanal’, ‘Focus Features’ and ‘Monumental’ are making this film to celebrate our daughter Amy’s extraordinary musical legacy and her talent in the way and to present it in a way that it deserves.”
Amy Winehouse was found dead on July 23, 2011. The 27-year-old died of alcohol poisoning with a blood alcohol level of 4.16 per mille. In her short career she sold more than 30 million records and even more than ten years after her death, her songs are still streamed over 80 million times a month.