A new Audrey Hepburn documentary uses dance to help tell her story

Few stars have the same enduring popularity as Audrey Hepburn. The Old Hollywood actress continues to earn new fans through her work in such classic films as Roman Holiday and Breakfast At Tiffany’s, as well as through her status as a fashion icon.

In a new documentary directed by Helena Coan, Hepburn’s story will be told from childhood to Goodwill Ambassador of UNICEF, using ballet to help illustrate her life.

Before heading to Hollywood, Hepburn dreamt of a career in ballet, which was put on hold when the Nazi’s invaded the Netherlands during World War II. Her love for dance, however, remained throughout her life (you can even see her dance with Fred Astaire in 1957's Funny Face).

According to Vogue UK, the documentary, entitled Audrey, will feature choreography from the Royal Ballet’s Wayne McGregor.

To link the archive footage from Hepburn’s movies and travel, Coan will weave clips of the Royal Ballet’s Francesca Hayward (as Hepburn at the height of her career) and world-renowned prima ballerina Alessandra Ferri (as Hepburn during her later years).

“Dance magnifies Audrey’s emotional landscape and 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,” Coan told Vogue.

In addition to archival footage, Audrey will also include interviews with her son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, about her struggle for survival growing up during World War II.

Former artistic director of Givenchy, Clare Waight Keller, will also speak about Hepburn’s role as Hubert de Givenchy’s friend and muse - a partnership that was first captured on film in 1954’s Sabrina and lasted until Hepburn’s death in 1993.