New George Best documentary from the makers behind Bobby Sands film

The film, from the makers of the highly-controversial documentary “Bobby Sands: 66 Days”, will be shown for the first time in Leicester Square on October 14 as part of the London Film Festival.

Titled “George Best: All By Himself”, the new feature from Belfast company Fine Point Films examines the life and times of the “fifth Beatle”, from growing up in east Belfast to becoming an international football legend with Manchester United.

However, Best fans hoping to catch a glimpse of the film will have to wait until next year, with the homecoming premiere not expected to take place in Belfast until early 2017, shortly before it hits cinemas across the UK and Ireland.

“George Best: All By Himself” is directed by the award-winning Daniel Gordon, who recently produced and directed the two-hour documentary “Hillsborough”, and the internationally-acclaimed “9.79” on the infamous 100 metre race at the 1988 Seoul Olympics won by Ben Johnson.

Trevor Birney, producer, said: “George Best is a global icon and our aim was to present his life story to an international audience.

“Our objective was to bring the story to another level through extended interviews with a number of high-profile people, delving deeper into their relationship with Best through his periods of significant success and also when suffering from his darkest moments from his alcoholism which defined most of his later life.”

Fine Point Films’ recent documentary, Bobby Sands: 66 Days, attracted praise from some critics and garnered local box office success, but was slammed by Troubles victims and politicians including the DUP’s Gregory Campbell, who said it was “a million miles away from an accurate depiction.”