Eagles Documentary to Premiere in January at Sundance Film Festival

Credit: Sam JonesThe hotly anticipated documentary celebrating the Eagles' 40th anniversary is set to premiere next month at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival. History of the Eagles Part 1 will get its debut screening on January 19 at the Eccles Theater in Park City, Utah.

Using rare and previously unseen film footage, home movies and photos, the documentary will trace the group's story from its beginnings through its rise to superstardom in the late 1970s to its temporary breakup in 1980. The flick also will feature new interviews with all of the band's current and former members, as well as by many of the Eagles' friends and musical associates.

History of the Eagles Part 1 was directed by Alison Ellwood and produced by Alex Gibney, who won a Best Documentary Feature Oscar in 2008 for his work on Taxi to the Dark Side.

"For the last five years, and intensely this past year, we have been putting together this document of our history with Alex and Alison," says Eagles singer/guitarist Glenn Frey in a statement. "We're all very pleased with the progress so far, and are excited to see the finished product at Sundance."

Speaking recently with ABC News Radio, guitarist Joe Walsh discussed his favorite period of the band's history that the movie covered. He talked fondly about his early days with the group, following the release of Hotel California, when the Eagles "were in a huge creative phase."

Walsh explained, "All kinds of music got made in those days that's still around today. And to have been part of that chemistry and camaraderie, and that energy…is something that not all musicians get a chance to experience…Riding that wave, shall we say, was nothing but wonderful memories."

Meanwhile, former Eagles guitarist Don Felder, who sued the group after being fired back in 2001, talked with ABC News Radio about his involvement in the film.

"I got a call from my attorney who had heard from their attorney, and they had asked me to be involved in the documentary," he said. "And I thought it was only appropriate, after all the years and all the work that we had done together, that I went in and offered my appearance in the documentary. So we filmed for a day an interview that will be in the documentary."