Music Legend Leonard Cohen’s Concert Documentary Coming to Theaters

Photo courtesy of the artist
Photo courtesy of the artist

Leonard Cohen fans, rejoice. The iconic folk musician will be hitting the big screen in New York City Jan. 18-31 with his concert documentary Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire. 

Videos by American Songwriter

Filmed in 1972, this documentary was lost for three decades. Upon its recent discovery in old film canisters, it was decided it would premiere at the Film Forum in New York. The documentary features exclusive backstage footage of Cohen’s early performances.

Originally created for promotional purposes during the beginnings of Cohen’s career, the film offers a raw look at the renowned songwriter. After watching the footage firsthand and seeing the way Cohen was unapologetically depicted by producer Tony Palmer, Cohen was outraged and demanded a re-edit from another producer, which led to a flop of a film that opened and closed the same day in theaters.

When the rusty film canisters were found in an empty warehouse, they were shipped to Palmer who began to piece together his original film. The film is available on DVD and can be found on Amazon.

Cohen is currently featured on the cover of American Songwriter magazine’s January/February 2017 edition.