Ang Lee directs Woodstock comedy

Ang Lee, the Oscar-winning director of Brokeback Mountain, is filming a comedy about the landmark festival Woodstock.

Taking Woodstock is based on a book by Elliot Tiber, who granted the original permit for the 1969 event, which became synonymous with the hippy movement.

Filming will take place in upstate New York, home of the first Woodstock, with a view to releasing the movie ahead of Woodstock's 40th anniversary in 2009.

The Who and Janis Joplin were among the stars who played at the 1969 concert.

Lee - whose credits include Sense and Sensibility, The Ice Storm and Hulk - met Mr Tiber at a book launch in San Francisco, and the film project developed from there.

However, his spokesman refused to elaborate on details of the plot. "I'm not in a position to discuss details of the film," said David Lee.

Half a million fans attended the music festival which also featured Ravi Shankar, Jimi Hendrix and Joe Cocker, and was the subject of a successful documentary film in 1970.