The US theatrical premiere of Dayna Goldfine and Daniel Geller’s HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG opens at Film Forum, NYC, this Friday, July 1. Poet/singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen (1934-2016) spent over 7 years writing “Hallelujah,” initially an obscure track on an early 80s album rejected by his record label. “Look, Leonard, we know you’re great – but we’re not sure you’re any good,” said Walter Yetnikoff, president of Columbia Records in 1984. The song enjoyed a new life in 1991 after being covered by John Cale (Cohen shared over 100 unused verses with him), then Jeff Buckley on his Grace album — and evolved through countless versions to become one of the most beloved songs of all time. Drawing from rare archival materials, directors Geller and Goldfine (BALLETS RUSSES) meticulously trace the career of the restless Canadian as they detail the unlikely path of his famous composition.
Leonard Cohen with his Guitar ready to go out on Tour.
Circa late-2000s. Photographer unknown. Courtesy of the Cohen Estate.
HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG premiered at the 2021 Venice Film Festival and was selected for Telluride and Tribeca Film Festivals. The Holy of the Broken: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley & the Unlikely Ascent of Hallelujah, the book by Alan Light which inspired the film, will be available at Film Forum’s concession during the film’s run.
HALLELUJAH: LEONARD COHEN, A JOURNEY, A SONG (2021, 118 min) Directed and Produced by Dayna Goldfine, Daniel Geller. Executive Producers: Jonathan Dana, Morgan Neville, Robert Kory, Michael Drews, Robin Sagon. Consulting Producers: Alan Light and Celeste Schaefer Snyder. Cinematography: Geller. Editing: Goldfine with Bill Weber, Geller. With Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, John Cale, Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Judy Collins, Bob Dylan, Sharon Robinson, Rufus Wainwright. USA. A Sony Pictures Classics Release.