Courtney Love to have ‘no editorial control’ of Kurt Cobain documentary

The makers of a new documentary about Kurt Cobain have confirmed that although Courtney Love helped launch the project, she will have no say over its final cut.

Because the singer “[is] a subject in the film”, the director explained, “we agreed ... it would be best if she wasn’t given editorial control”.

“[Courtney] gave me the keys to this kingdom and final cut of the film,” Brett Morgen, the director of Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck, recently told the Hollywood Reporter. “She hasn’t seen the movie ... [and] I’m not sure she’s intending to.”

Instead of collaborating with Cobain’s partner, Morgen instead began working more closely with the Nirvana frontman’s daughter, Frances Bean. She is one of the movie’s executive producers and helped oversee its use of substantial material from Cobain’s estate.

Montage of Heck draws from more than 200 hours of unreleased music, as well as home movies, artwork and unpublished writings. It is due to premiere at the 2015 Sundance festival.

On Twitter, Frances Bean emphasised that although Love was held at arm’s length from the film, she “absolutely participated in it”. She added: “Courtney brought me into the world [of Kurt], and the film would not exist if she hadn’t reached out to me ... The greatest gift one can give a director is trust.” Love has yet to publicly comment on Montage of Heck’s upcoming release.