Released in UK cinemas today

"The Princess"... Princess Diana's life again

The work traces Diana's life as a teenager until her death on August 31, 1997. Reuters

Oscar-nominated director Ed Perkins has navigated hundreds of hours of footage of Princess Diana in search of moments he hopes will offer a new perspective on her life and public image, 25 years after her death.

His new movie "The Princess" - which will be released in theaters in Britain today - is based entirely on archival footage that traces Diana's life as a shy teenager until her death on August 31, 1997, at the age of 36, and scenes of unprecedented mourning. unparalleled.

Avoiding the interviews and comparative analysis often used as a narrative tool in documentaries, Perkins said he hopes to explore the complex relationship between Diana, the media and the audience, and elicit an emotional response from audiences.

"Our hope is to use the archival footage as a time machine to bring audiences back to our shared past and allow them to relive the story," he added.

Perkins, who was 11 when Diana died and remembers the confusion of his feelings, said he hopes his approach to filmmaking encourages viewers to re-analyze their relationship with the princess.

The director, who was nominated for an Oscar in 2019 for the short documentary Black Sheep, added: “The most interesting thing for me is what is our role in this?

What is our active role in the story?

To what extent are we complicit?

"The part of Diana's story that I felt was less relevant and more interesting to me is what does Diana's story say about all of us?" he said.

Diana was killed when the limousine she was traveling in crashed into a Paris tunnel while escaping from the paparazzi.

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