Amy Winehouse documentary featuring unseen footage of the singer to be made by Senna director

A documentary about the life of Amy Winehouse is being developed by the director of Senna, it has been confirmed.

The film will include never-before seen footage of the late singer.

Asif Kapadia, whose 2010 film Senna about the Brazilian F1 driver Ayrton Senna won a Bafta for best documentary, will direct the film. James Gay-Rees, who produced the Banksy documentary Exit Through the Gift Shop, is also behind the film.

“Amy was a once-in-a-generation talent who captured everyone’s attention. She wrote and sung from the heart and everyone fell under her spell,” said Kapadia and Gay-Rees in a joint statement.

“But tragically, Amy seemed to fall apart under the relentless media attention, her troubled relationships, her global success and precarious lifestyle. As a society, we celebrated her huge success, but then we were quick to judge her failing when it suited us.”

The film, which is yet to be given a title, will be sold to international buyers at the Cannes Film Festival in May, according to distributor Focus Features International.

Grammy-award winning singer Amy Winehouse died at her home in July 2011 from alcohol poisoning at the age of 27. Her 2006 album Back to Black became the biggest-selling album of the 21st Century in the UK.