" Dixie Chicks [ tickets ] - Shut Up and Sing," a documentary exploring the Texas trio's sometimes adversarial relationship with its own fan base, will make its world premiere during the Toronto International Film Festival in September.

The film, directed and produced by Barbara Kopple and Cecila Peck, will be screened as one of the festival's gala presentations, an honor only given to a handful of movies each year. Exact dates for the film's screening during the festival, which runs from Sept. 7-16, will be announced in August.

The documentary travels with the Chicks "from their peak of popularity as the national-anthem-singing darlings of country music and top-selling female recording artists of all time, through the now infamous anti-Bush comment, and on through the days, months and years of mayhem," according to a press release.

Last month, some media reports indicated that the trio might be forced to cancel or postpone most or all of its summer dates due to tepid ticket sales in many markets, a situation largely credited to the controversy that has surrounded the group since lead singer Natalie Maines, during a 2003 concert in London, told the audience that she was "ashamed" that President George W. Bush was a fellow Texan.

On June 9, the group responded to the cancellation rumors with a message posted at its website.

"Any reports being made about the cancellation of our upcoming Accidents and Accusations tour are completely false," the band's statement began.

"We have known since March 2003 that our path in this business would have obstacles at every pass. We have enjoyed meeting each one head-on and we will continue to do so. Dixie Chicks fans are as active and dedicated as they come. This time around we are willingly feeling our way through uncharted territory. Things don't come as easy as they might have come in the past, and it makes each accomplishment more exciting and appreciated."

Tickets for about a dozen shows that were on the band's initial itinerary didn't go on the market as originally scheduled.

In contrast to the reported lagging ticket sales, the band's latest album, "Taking the Long Way," is showing healthy sales numbers, selling 526,000 copies its first week of release, according to Nielsen Soundscan, the third largest sales week of any artist this year. The album has been certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipping more than a million copies in the US.