Nine years after Heath Ledger's tragic death from an accidental prescription drug overdose, the late actor is getting new life in the feature-length documentary, I Am Heath Ledger, which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last night.
According to the film's director Derik Murray, the documentary gives insight into the life of the troubled Aussie, who may be remembered by the public for his turns in 10 Things I Hate About You, Brokeback Mountain and of course, his Oscar-winning role in The Dark Knight, but is remembered by those close to him as a father to his daughter Matilda Ledger and a loyal friend.
When E! News caught up with director last night at Tribeca, Murray said, "I think in this film you are going to learn a lot about Heath as an artist, but the other thing you are going to learn about is he had such a deep connection with his friends."
Co-producer Adrian Buitenhuis also discussed a key element of the story: Heath becoming father.
"It's interesting to hear [his friends] talk about Heath becoming a father as well, which was really an important moment for him. They all had lots of beautiful things to share about how important that was for him and how much love he had for his daughter," said the filmmaker. "We were definitely thinking about his daughter when we were making the film."
Members of Ledger's family, as well as a crew of celebs, including Naomi Watts, Ben Mendelsohn, Dijmon Hounsou, Emile Hirsch and more, appear in the doc. Meanwhile, Ledger's ex Michelle Williams is notably absent, but the filmmakers did say that the Manchester By The Sea actress gave her blessing for the film.
I Am Heath Ledger is set to be released on May 3.