Britney Spears’ notorious and controversial conservatorship battle is set to be the subject of a new documentary by The New York Times.
Titled Framing Britney Spears, the film will track the singer’s rise to pop stardom, her struggles with mental health and subsequent hospitalisation, and the #FreeBritney movement, which seeks to help Britney regain her independence.
Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, has controlled his daughter’s career and finances since 2008, after she was admitted to psychiatric hospital for five days. Though it was meant to end in 2009, it’s still ongoing today – over a decade later. The case has been handled privately for most of that time, but has come to public attention in recent years, in part due to the fan-launched #FreeBritney movement.
“How we treated her was disgusting,” one interviewee says in the trailer for Framing Britney Spears. “Why is her dad making all her decisions?” questions another, adding: “Why is she still in this?”
In November last year, a judge declined to suspend Jamie from his central role in the conservatorship, leading to Britney asserting that she “will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career”.
Jamie, however, has stood by his role as the singer’s conservator, telling CNN last month: “When a family member needs special care and protection, families need to step up, as I have done for the last 12-plus years, to safeguard, protect, and continue to love Britney unconditionally. I have and will continue to provide unwavering love and fierce protection against those with self-serving interests, and those who seek to harm her or my family.”
At the time of writing, Britney’s conservatorship will remain until at least next month, though her former estate manager says she could be under it “for the rest of her life”.
Watch the trailer for Framing Britney Spears above.