New Prince documentary to be directed by Ava DuVernay, director of civil rights drama Selma

The multi-part documentary is to cover the late singer’s entire life and DuVernay has been granted full access to his archive. Speaking to American entertainment website Deadline, DuVernay said: “Prince was a genius and a joy and a jolt to the senses, he was like no other. He shattered every preconceived notion, smashed every boundary, shared everything in his heart through his music. The only way I know how to make this film is with love. And with great care. I’m honoured to do so and grateful for the opportunity entrusted to me by the estate.”

DuVernay is best known as the first black female director nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. Her music documentaries ‘This Is The Life’ and ‘My Mic Sounds Nice’ which explored the Los Angeles underground Hip-Hop scene during the 90s have also received widespread acclaim.

In addition to working on the Prince documentary, which is several months into production, DuVernay is working on the four-part TV series which details the story of five men of colour who were wrongly convicted of raping a woman in New York’s Central Park. Prince himself was a fan of DuVernay and had previously approached the director to collaborate on a project shortly before his death.

In other Prince news – Apple Music is developing another documentary on the iconic 1983 Minneapolis first avenue concert. The gig was the first ever performance of Prince & The Revolution - it marked the premiere of signature track ‘Purple Rain’.