Altitude and Lightbox have announced the landmark cinema-release documentary, Diana, directed by Academy Award-nominated Ed Perkins (Tell Me Who I Am, Black Sheep).
Diana is the first theatrical release documentary to be made about the Princess of Wales and is slated to open in cinemas worldwide in the summer of 2022 to mark the 25th anniversary of Diana’s tragic death. After its worldwide theatrical release, the film – produced in association with HBO and Sky – will have its television premiere on HBO and stream on HBOMax in the US; and on Sky Documentaries in the UK.
Using a “bold and elevated” archive-only approach, Diana will draw on thousands of hours of news reports, previously unseen footage and photographs to create an “intelligent, layered and powerful film that will become a unique documentary record of the life and times of a global icon.”
The film will also “turn the camera back on ourselves, to examine wider society at the time to illuminate the profound impact Diana had on ordinary people in Britain and across the world.”
Lightbox is co-founded by double Academy Award-winning producer Simon Chinn (Man On Wire, Searching For Sugar Man) and double Emmy-Award winning producer Jonathan Chinn (Whitney, LA92).
Altitude, the studio and UK theatrical distributor which released the Academy Award and BAFTA Award-winning documentary Amy, is handling global sales and will be releasing the film theatrically in the UK and Ireland. It has already pre-sold the film to theatrical buyers in multiple territories, including: Benelux (Piece of Magic), Germany and Austria (Studio Hamburg Enterprises/NDR/BR/RBB), Italy (I Wonder Pictures), Portugal (NOS Lusomundo Audiovisuais), Switzerland (Ascot Elite), Czech Republic (AQS), Japan (Tohokushinsha), Australia & New Zealand (Madman), Middle East (Phars) and Turkey (Filmarti).
Director Ed Perkins said, “The life and death of Princess Diana remains one of the defining stories of our times. Though we are telling a story which has been told and re-told many times, my aim is to reframe it for a modern audience and make it feel as fresh and relevant as it ever has. The idea of taking an archive-only approach will allow us to immerse audiences in the narrative as if it were being told in the present. I want to bring this account of her life to audiences in a more emotional and unmediated way than has been done before and, rather than re-analysing it or offering another retrospective commentary, I want to invite audiences to bring their own memories and reflections and allow them to see and experience it afresh.”
Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn, co-Founders of Lightbox added: “The mythology surrounding Princess Diana remains as potent as ever, but we want to paint as honest a portrait as we can of a complex woman who had a powerful influence not just on the British monarchy but on wider society. In doing so we also want to allow audiences not just to better understand Diana but, through her story, to come to an understanding of the era that shaped it and to connect the dots between then and now. To that end, this very personal, human tale about the relationship between Diana and the establishment becomes a larger narrative about the relationship between Diana and all of us.”
Lia Devlin, Director of Distribution at Altitude commented, “The life of Princess Diana is a global story that still resounds for generations today. Having worked closely with Lightbox previously we are acutely aware of the care, responsibility and attention with which they approach their filmmaking and alongside Ed’s consideration for her story we look forward to DIANA as a compelling and honest film that will be embraced by audiences in the UK and worldwide.”
DIANA is a Lightbox Production. The Director is Ed Perkins, the Producers are Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn for Lightbox, and the Editor is BAFTA Award-winning Jinx Godfrey (MAN ON WIRE, THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING, CHERNOBYL).
Jon Creamer
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