Amy, Asif Kapadia’s tribute to the jazz and pop singer Amy Winehouse, has won the Oscar for best documentary feature.
Kapadia’s film examines how Winehouse’s addictions to alcohol and drugs intensified in fame’s glare, culminating in her death from alcohol poisoning in 2011. It was the favourite to win from early on in the awards race, and won the top documentary prizes at a clutch of ceremonies, including the Baftas and Producers Guild Awards.
Amy, which is the UK’s highest grossing non-fiction film, marks Kapadia’s first Oscar win, from his first nomination. His previous film, Senna, about the Brazilian Formula One racing driver, controversially didn’t make the 2012 shortlist.
One person who won’t be celebrating Kapadia’s win is Amy’s father, Mitch. He has called Kapadia’s film “a one dimensional, miserable and misleading portrayal of Amy”, and has contested the film’s portrayal of him exploiting her talent. Kapadia and his team have said the film is a fair representation that they got of Amy from conducting more than 100 interviews with friends and family.
