New Clapton Doc Premiering at Toronto International Film Festival

The new Eric Clapton documentary Eric Clapton: Life In 12 Bars won't air on Showtime until 2018, but it will premiere next month at the Toronto International Film Festival.

Directed by Lili Fini Zanuck, the 135-minute film offers "an intimate, revealing musical odyssey on the life and career of guitar virtuoso Eric Clapton, told by those who have known him best, including B.B. King, Jimi Hendrix and George Harrison."

Besides those archival interviews, Zanuck also received "unprecedented access to Clapton's extensive personal archive of classic performance clips, on and off-stage footage, iconic photos, concert posters, handwritten letters, drawings, and personal diary entries."

The TIFF runs September 7-17; The schedule of screenings will be announced this month. No exact date has not been announced for the film's debut on Showtime, either.

Clapton, meanwhile, has five concerts scheduled for September as well, two at New York's Madison Square Garden and four at The Forum near Los Angeles.

Gary Graff is an award-winning music journalist who not only covers music but has written books on Bob Seger, Neil Young and Bruce Springsteen.