Open Road and XLrator have picked up U.S. rights to Andre Benjamin’s Jimi Hendrix project, All Is By My Side, another high-profile film based on the life of a real-life person that’s been burdened with controversy since it started production, and which made its World Premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival last weekend.

This is the Hendrix project that didn’t have the approval of Jimi Hendrix’s estate to use any of the musician’s original songs, with reps for the estate accusing the filmmakers of moving forward with the project without their official permission. 

The film is free of all Hendrix-written classics like Purple Haze or The Wind Cries Mary, because of rights issues, and the producers set the film in “Hendrix’s pre-fame era,” as they said, and the music used are covers of other musicians’ songs Hendrix performed.

The feature film is written and directed by John Ridley.

Zeba reviewed it post its TIFF screening, and, in short, she wasn’t impressed. Read her reactions HERE.

Now we wait for that first trailer…