André Benjamin Stars In JIMI: ALL IS BY MY SIDE Trailer

Opening in theaters on September 26, check out the new trailer for JIMI: ALL IS BY MY SIDE.

OutKast’s André Benjamin stars as Jimi Hendrix in this revealing biopic from Academy Award-winning writer-director John Ridley (“12 Years A Slave”). Covering a year in Hendrix’s life from 1966-67 as an unknown backup guitarist playing New York’s Cheetah Club to making his mark in London’s music scene up until his Monterey Pop triumph, the film presents an intimate portrait of the sensitive young musician on the verge of becoming a rock legend.

Described by writer-director John Ridley as one of the most rarely told stories in rock history, JIMI: ALL IS BY MY SIDE charts just over a year in a man’s life. The year he blossomed and became Jimi Hendrix. The year he spent as a young musician trying to make it on the streets and in the clubs of London, England. The lovers, friends, and musical collaborators, who helped him get there.

JIMI: ALL IS BY MY SIDE also stars Hayley Atwell (“Captain America: The First Avenger”), Imogen Poots (“28 Weeks Later”), Andrew Buckley (“Borgia”), and Ruth Negga (“World War Z”).

Chief among Ridley’s concerns was staying true to the spirit of Hendrix as a man. In many people’s eyes he has been reduced to an image on a t-shirt; an icon, a pop culture cliché. But as well as a mind-blowing guitarist, he was a unique individual with a fascinating journey. “In our discussions with John, before we started to make this film, John would say: ‘Almost forget he’s Hendrix’,” says Tristan Orpen Lynch, (producer). “He wants people to be emotionally moved by the end of this film. This is an emotional story.”

JIMI: ALL IS BY MY SIDE is not a biopic. It is a year in a man’s life. The year he blossomed and became Jimi Hendrix. The year he spent as a young musician trying to make it on the streets and in the clubs of London, England. This was what attracted André Benjamin to the role.

“That was very cool,” says Benjamin. “When I was 23 or 24, I got a few scripts about Hendrix, but they were true biopics. I’m glad it took this long because this approach is a little more interesting. You kind of get a slice of his life. Sometimes it’s hard to stuff someone’s whole life into two hours.”