Who was the real Audrey Hepburn? That's the question at the centre of a new documentary all about the enduring fashion icon [1] and Hollywood star coming this month. Audrey, created by the BAFTA-nominated team behind McQueen, promises to be an intimate look at Hepburn's life, from her difficult childhood during World War II to her rise to fame and the philanthropic work which defined the last two decades of her life.

While there have been several documentaries made about Hepburn since her death in 1993, Audrey will be the first made with both consent and contributions from her family. Hepburn's son Sean Hepburn Ferrer and granddaughter Emma Ferrer are among those interviewed for the film and will shed light on Hepburn's early experiences of malnutrition and abandonment, which cast a shadow over the actress's later life.

The film also features former Givenchy artistic director Clare Waight Keller [2], who will speak about Hepburn's lifelong friendship with Hubert de Givenchy, as well as Richard Dreyfuss, who starred alongside the Oscar winner [3] in her final film.

"The film provides intimate interviews with those who knew her best, woven around rare archival footage," said director Helena Coan [4], who spent three years researching the Breakfast at Tiffany's star's life for the film. "However, we have taken it one step further and worked with multi-award-winning British choreographer, Wayne McGregor CBE, to create dance sequences inspired by Audrey's love of ballet, building a beguiling and emotionally affecting portrait of Audrey."

Young Audrey, who grew up in Nazi-occupied Holland, is portrayed by Keira Moore, while Francesca Hayward, who starred in 2019's Cats [5], plays Audrey at the height of her fame. Legendary Italian prima ballerina Alessandra Ferri joins them as Audrey in her later years as a UNICEF ambassador. Coan explained that she chose to depict the different stages of Hepburn's life via dance as it "brings a heightened sense of drama and theatre to the film, as well as a rich visual language which has not yet been used in documentary."

Watch the trailer for Audrey above ahead of the documentary's release on 30 Nov, when it will be available to download on all major digital platforms.