Universal Pictures has released the first trailer for "George Michael: The Faith Tour," a restored concert film built from previously unseen footage of the late British singer. The ninety-nine-second clip shows a 24-year-old George Michael in his leather jacket and aviator sunglasses, guitar in hand, performing to a stadium crowd in the late 1980s.
The trailer features fragments of the classics "Faith," "Father Figure" and "Careless Whisper." In the clip, George Michael says that what Faith meant to him was that life still had something to offer him.
The film is directed by David Austin and Andrew Morahan, the latter also responsible for the iconic 1987 music video for "Faith." It will open exclusively in cinemas on November 6, presenting the singer's landmark tour from a fresh angle after the footage sat unused for nearly four decades.
Restored 35mm footage from Paris
The film draws on footage from two concerts George Michael gave on May 30 and 31, 1988, at the Palais Omnisports de Paris-Bercy, the Paris arena now known as the Accor Arena. The shows were originally filmed using 14 35mm cameras, an ambitious technical setup for the era that has now allowed the material to be remastered with sharp clarity.
The concerts formed part of a tour that spanned 109 shows across 16 countries, one of the most extensive outings of George Michael's career.
Screenings will not open directly with the concert. They will be preceded by "Finding Faith," a short film directed by photographer and filmmaker Mary McCartney. The short combines previously unseen photographs taken by the late photographer Herb Ritts, unreleased statements from the singer, and exclusive behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of the "Faith" music video, offering context on the moment George Michael was becoming a global superstar.
A live album to accompany the film
The cinema release will be accompanied by a special live album, also out on November 6. The record features 18 songs recorded across the two nights in Paris, drawing on George Michael's solo catalogue as well as material from his time in Wham!, including the number ones "Everything She Wants" and "I'm Your Man."
The album will also include previously unreleased live covers of "Lady Marmalade," originally recorded by Labelle, and "Love's in Need of Love Today," written by Stevie Wonder.
George Michael, who died in 2016, remains one of the defining pop voices of the 1980s, first finding fame with Wham! before a solo career built on albums including "Faith," which turned him into one of the biggest recording artists in the world.
