Thousands pitch for Bob Marley doccie

Kingston - A few thousand reggae fans have crowded into a park in Jamaica's capital to watch a screening of a long-in-the-works documentary about Bob Marley, the charismatic icon of reggae music.

Director Kevin MacDonald's Marley, which will be released worldwide on Friday, premiered in the singer's Caribbean homeland on Thursday.

It was shown to high praise from Jamaicans who marvelled at footage showing the late singer's impassioned interviews, family life and loose-limbed stage presence.

Rastafarian drummers with their long dreadlocks tucked into crocheted caps performed traditional rhythms and chants before the film in homage to the late singer, who died in 1981 at the age of 36.

The film was authorised by the Marley family. His widow, Rita, and other family members and band mates joined the celebration.