Montreal-based Sphere Media has partnered with Glasgow’s Two Rivers Media to create a documentary detailing Diana, the Princess of Wales’ private and secret dance classes with Scottish-Canadian instructor Anne Allan.
The project is based on Allan’s book Dancing With Diana: A Memoir, which was published last September and optioned by Sphere Media.
The planned 90-minute documentary follows the nine-year period in which Allan taught the Princess of Wales. The film is set to feature unseen archival material including photographs, personal gifts and notes from Diana, who died in a 1997 car crash.
The film would look to explore the pair’s weekly dance sessions, their friendship, as well as the British royal’s fame, motherhood, her marriage and her struggle with bulimia. Allan co-choreographed Diana’s routine at Covent Garden where she danced to Billy Joel’s “Uptown Girl” (pictured).
“During my time with the Princess, I was so fortunate to witness not only Diana’s profound love of dance, but a much more personal side of her,” said Allan in a statement. “I hope that viewers of the documentary will appreciate this fresh look as well as discover a deeper understanding of just how extraordinary she was.”
The project would mark the first coproduction between Sphere Media and Two Rivers Media. Sphere Abacus will distribute the documentary globally. Two Rivers Media formed in 2019 with now defunct Toronto-based Kew Media Group investing in the company at its formation.
“This project hits all the right notes for a coproduction between our companies,” said Alan Clements, managing director and exec producer at Two Rivers. “The combination of our track records in producing remarkable stories from diverse perspectives with a distributor that leaves no stone unturned in finding audiences is a powerful partnership for success.”
Photo by J Black Camera Press