Hallelujah: Leonard Cohen, A Journey, A Song (M)

A definitive exploration of singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen as seen through the prism of his internationally renowned hymn, “Hallelujah”. This feature-length documentary weaves together three creative strands: The songwriter and his times; the song’s dramatic journey from record label reject to chart-topping hit; and moving testimonies from major recording artists for whom “Hallelujah” has become a personal touchstone.

Approved for production by Leonard Cohen just before his 80th birthday in 2014, the film accesses a wealth of never-before-seen archival materials from the Cohen Trust including Cohen’s personal notebooks, journals and photographs, performance footage, and extremely rare audio recordings and interviews.

Cast: Leonard Cohen, Jeff Buckley, John Cale, Brandi Carlile, Eric Church, Judy Collins, Bob Dylan, Glen Hansard, Sharon Robinson, Rufus Wainwright

Directors: Dan Geller, Dayna Goldfine

★★★★ "Fans of Leonard Cohen, and there are millions of them, will be enthralled by this portrait of 'a kind of modern minstrel'." DAVID STRATTON

★★★★½ "traces the history of Cohen's most famous song, including its rough road to being released at all" NATIONAL POST