A BELFAST filmmaker has been denied use of Sinead O'Connor's biggest hit in a new documentary after an intervention by the estate of late singer Prince.

'Nothing Compares' charts the career of the Dublin-born artist O'Conner, and is set for release in cinemas this Friday.

Director Kathryn Ferguson had hoped to include the singer's 1990 song Nothing Compares 2 U in the film, but the estate of US artist Prince has ruled out its inclusion.

The chart-topping track was originally written and recorded by Prince, who died in 2016, and his half-sister said the estate was denying its use in the documentary as "his version is the best".

Sharon Nelson, told US music magazine Billboard: "Nothing compares to Prince’s live version with Rosie Gaines that is featured on the Hits 1 album and we are re-releasing that album on vinyl on November 4th."

Speaking to RTÉ, Ms Ferguson, who directed 2018 award-winning short film Taking the Waters, said the decision was "very disappointing and not something that we anticipated" in relation to the song, the video for which was directed by filmmaker John Maybury.

The film includes scenes from the famous video overlaid with an ambient score and commentary from O'Connor and its director.

"It is what it is, and we did our best to get through it," Ms Ferguson added.