Yahoo News Greenwich Entertainment Acquires ‘Lost Angel’ Documentary On Gifted But Troubled Singer-Songwriter Judee Sill, Who Bounced Between Recording Studio And Jail Cells
EXCLUSIVE: Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights to Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill, a documentary about the gifted singer-songwriter who was equal parts talented and tortured.
The film directed by Andy Brown and Brian Lindstrom (Alien Boy: The Life & Death of James Chasse) premiered at DOC NYC in 2022. Greenwich plans to release Lost Angel in theaters on April 12. Watch the trailer below.
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“An intimate portrait of a one-of-a-kind singer-songwriter from 1970s Los Angeles, the documentary charts the life of Judee Sill from a troubled adolescence that included armed robbery and prison through her meteoric rise in the music world and tragic early death,” notes a description of the documentary. “In just over two years, Judee went from living in a car to a deal with Asylum Records and the cover of Rolling Stone. As told by Linda Ronstadt, Jackson Browne, Graham Nash, David Geffen and JD Souther — along with Judee herself — the film explores Judee’s unique musical style and the inspiring recent rediscovery of her singular music by a new generation of musicians including Robin Pecknold of Fleet Foxes, Adrianne Lenker and Buck Meek of Big Thief, Shawn Colvin and Weyes Blood.”
Sill experienced far more than her share of grief and family dysfunction. Her father died when was eight. Her mother later remarried, but fought constantly with her second husband, creating an unstable home life for Judee. As a teen Sill hooked up with a criminal sort who took her on armed robbery outings. In reform school, she was the church organist. After another term behind bars, she began writing songs. In 1971 she became the first artist signed to David Geffen’s Asylum Records.
Sill couldn’t shake drug addiction and died of an overdose in 1979 at the age of 35. Her music has been treasured by some of the recording industry’s brightest talents, including Colvin and the late Warren Zevon. Water Records released a double CD of her work in 2006.
“We’re thrilled to be working with Greenwich to bring the singular music and life story of Judee Sill both to her devoted fans as well as the wider audience that eluded her during her lifetime,” director-producer Brian Lindstrom said in a statement. “While Judee’s grace-filled songs seem at odds with the grittier elements of her personal life, her journal entries and audio interviews provide an intimate window into how this complex singer/songwriter transformed personal pain into musical masterpieces.”
Lost Angel: The Genius of Judee Sill is produced by Peter Kenney (Oscar-nominated Joe’s Violin) and Brian Lindstrom. Executive producers include Maya Hawke (Stranger Things), Cheryl Strayed (Wild) and Dan Braun (Echo in the Canyon).
Greenwich’s Andy Bohn negotiated the acquisition with Submarine’s Dan Braun and Ben Schwartz on behalf of the filmmakers.
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