Al Fayed’s company sued over Diana film

A bronze fountain memorial to Dodi al-Fayed, right, and Princess Diana is seen in central London in this August 31, 1998 file photo. Photo; REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/Files

A bronze fountain memorial to Dodi al-Fayed, right, and Princess Diana is seen in central London in this August 31, 1998 file photo. Photo; REUTERS/Dylan Martinez/Files

Published Nov 2, 2015

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A CONTROVERSIAL documentary about the death of Princess Diana is at the centre of a legal row between Mohamed Al Fayed’s film company Allied Stars Film Ltd and a production firm founded by former television critic Victor Lewis-Smith.

Unlawful Killing was directed by alternative comedian Keith Allen, written by Lewis-Smith and bankrolled by Al Fayed, whose son Dodi was killed alongside Princess Diana in a Paris car crash in 1997.

The movie premiered at the Cannes film festival in 2011 and claimed that the British Establishment covered up the facts surrounding her death.

It was never shown at cinemas in the UK and elsewhere – including the US – due to problems getting insured against being sued over its contents.

Last year, Allied Stars Film said it had formally abandoned the film because it was ‘highly unlikely’ that it could ever be distributed.

Allied Stars Film said that last March it had heard from lawyers representing Associated Rediffusion Productions claiming the sum of £387 000 for costs which were said to have been authorised by the company during the making of Unlawful Killing, but which were allegedly never paid.

Allied Stars Film said last week that it was ‘vigorously’ defending the claim. Neither party could be reached for comment.

 

 

Mail On Sunday

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