Val Kilmer’s children Jack and Mercedes take stock of daddy’s health

“Val,” Amazon’s new documentary about the life of actor Val Kilmer, premiered Wednesday night at the DGA in West Hollywood.

Co-directors Leo Scott and Ting Poo put the film together from footage Kilmer shot over several decades. “It’s over 50 years in the making,” said Val’s son Jack. Variety. Her daughter Mercedes said she loved seeing footage from her parents’ wedding: “I’ve seen photos but never a video.”

Jack added: “Love to see him at the age I get to the ‘Top Gun’ premiere with Cher on his arm and he has a mule!”

Val, who was diagnosed with throat cancer a few years ago, skipped the first one. “His health is good,” Mercedes said. ” He is doing very well. “

Michael Mann was on hand to toast Kilmer, who starred in the filmmaker’s “Heat” (1995) opposite Al Pacino and Robert De Niro. “He’s one of those rare actors who is not only gifted and talented, but he has this spectacular and very unusual quality – he is all the time,” Mann said. Variety. “He never thinks he’s finished.

“Val” is now available on Amazon. “We all have such a special magical place in our hearts and psyche about Val Kilmer,” said Jennifer Salke, director of Amazon Studios. “All of those movies that we love, all of those iconic roles and just the sparkle behind the eye. But he was also kind of a mystery. Like where is he? For us the minute we saw he was the subject of that and a personal vision of hers that we looked at. ”

Amazon Studio film co-directors Jill Rapaport and Mann Newman first saw footage from the film last summer. “We all started calling each other immediately saying, ‘This is so special,’” said Rapaport. “We actually made the deal from that first footage.”

Despite Kilmer’s health issue, Newman said, “With everything he’s been through, there’s still only this positive energy that comes out of whatever he seems to touch.”