After the success of the documentary “Framing Britney Spears” and the continued interest in the #FreeBritney movement, another documentary is in the works about Britney Spears’ conservatorship, this time for BBC Two.
BAFTA-winning journalist Mobeen Azhar is behind the film, which he began filming in the fall of 2020 in an attempt to understand the full story behind why Spears is under conservatorship, the legal agreement in the U.S. that can place an adult under the legal guardianship of another. In this case, Britney has been under the supervision of her father and has not had control of the decisions around her finances or her career since 2008.
Azhar’s film for BBC Two includes him visiting Spears’ hometown of Kentwood, Louisiana as well as attending a court hearing in the ongoing legal battle over her conservatorship. He also speaks to activists involved in the #FreeBritney movement and what Spears means to them. And BBC Two hopes to air the documentary “Britney” (working title) later this spring.
“I went to LA in search of the truth of how Britney Spears, one of the biggest pop stars on the planet, ended up in a conservatorship. I found myself in a world of lawyers, superfans and paparazzi and spent time with many of the people who’ve had a front row seat in Britney’s life. This film taps into the energy of the #FreeBritney movement and questions the industry, fandom and the laws that facilitate conservatorships,” Azhar said in a statement.
This BBC Two documentary film follows “Framing Britney Spears,” which was produced in part by the New York Times and aired on Hulu back in February. There were also reports that Netflix has its own film in the works, as does Britney Spears herself.
Azhar is an investigative journalist who has made films about Prince and the fight against the Taliban, and he won his BAFTA for the series “Muslims Like Us.”
The untitled Britney documentary is produced by Forest and is distributed internationally by Abacus Media Rights. Laura Kaye is producing and the executive producer is Jeremy Lee. It was commissioned by Patrick Holland, controller, BBC Two and the commissioning editor for BBC Music is Owen Courtney.
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