Whitney Houston Documentary Gets Summer Release

Whitney Houston will be the subject of a documentary from Academy Award-winning director Kevin Macdonald. The highly-anticipated film, Whitney, is set to hit theaters on July 6 via Roadside Attractions and Miramax.

With the distinction of being the only film thus far approved by the late singer’s estate, Macdonald promises that it will feature previously unreleased recordings, personal home movie footage, rare never-before-seen footage, and live performances. It will also include original studio recordings and acapellas.

“I approached Whitney’s life like a mystery story,” said Macdonald. “Why did someone with so much raw talent and beauty self-destruct so publicly and painfully? I was lucky enough to have the support of Pat Houston and the Whitney Houston estate in this quest. They entrusted me with the ‘keys to the vault’ while giving me complete freedom to follow the story wherever it went. At heart, Whitney is an intimate family story that reveals a new side to a woman that even her most die-hard fans never knew.”

Patricia Houston, Whitney’s former manager, sister-in-law, and the executor of her estate, said it was important to share the full picture in order to reveal who Whitney truly was. “To tell Whitney’s story, you have to know her story,” she said. “We could not be more excited that Whitney’s fans will have this authoritative and definitive documentary chronicling the full arc or her career and the scope of Whitney’s entire life. This is an amazing retrospective that celebrates Whitney with never-before-seen footage and Kevin approaches her life with no blinders on. He captures all of Whitney’s magic, and he does not ignore the hard times. This is a film that will truly thrill all who knew and loved her as a musician, actress, model and so much more.”

Houston died Feb. 11, 2012, after accidentally drowning in a bathtub. It was later reported that “effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use” impacted her death. She was 48.