Documentary Explores Britney Spears' Conservatorship Battle

A new documentary set to air next month will take a close look at Britney Spears' conservatorship battle, which has been dragging on for over a decade. The New York Times film, titled "Framing Britney Spears," examines the rise and fall of Britney's career as well as the emergence of the fan-driven #FreeBritney movement that seeks to bring awareness to the controversy of her conservatorship.

"The meteoric rise and disturbing fall of Britney Spears has devolved into a Kafkaesque court battle that has reawakened her fandom and raised pressing questions about mental health and an individuals’ rights," creation and production house Red Arrow Studios wrote in a statement, adding that the documentary re-examines Britney's career "and offers a new assessment of the movement rallying against her court-mandated conservatorship, capturing the unsavory dimensions of the American pop-star machine."

The film will stream on FX and FX on Hulu in the U.S. on Feb. 5, 2021.

Britney's father, Jamie Spears, took control of the pop icon's estate in 2008 after she suffered a meltdown and was admitted into a psychiatric hospital for several days. Britney has been fighting to regain ownership of her personal and financial affairs but has been met with several roadblocks. In November, a judge declined her request to remove Jamie as sole conservator. In response, Britney said she refused to resume her musical career until her father relinquishes control of her life and career.

"My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father," Britney's lawyer, Samuel Ingham, said in a hearing later that month, The Associated Press reported. "She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career."

Britney's conservatorship was extended until February this year.

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