German"enfant terrible" Christoph Schlingensief has grabbed the headlinesonce again, this time with the announcement that he plans to make a featurefilm about the last hour in the life of Diana, Princess of Wales.

Speaking toGermany's leading tabloid Bildjust two days before the ninth anniversary of Diana's tragic death in Paris, Schlingensiefrevealed that 12 hours of footage had already been shot for the as-yet-untitledfilm including scenes at the Ritz hotel in Paris. "In London, we will have to work secretlybecause Diana is sacrosanct - and everybody goes jittery the minute you justmention her name," he said.

Asked ifone should be allowed to film Diana's death, Schlingensiefreplied that "Diana is a legend. The most abstruse conspiracy theorieshave grown up around her death. It can probably never be exactly clarified whathappened in that hour of her death. Art has the freedom to interpretthis."

Diana willbe played by German actress Jenny Elvers-Elbertzhagenwho became known to an international audience this year for her performance asthe mother in Detlev Buck's hard-hitting social dramaTough Enough which premiered at the Berlinale in February.

"Jennyis my Princess Di because, like Di,she presents a projection surface for longings," Schlingensiefexplained. "She resembles Diana as both of them seem to be within reach,but never are. Jenny suddenly appeared - like Diana - in the public eye,provoked prejudices."

Elvers-Elbertzhagen, who had previously said in a magazine interview that shewould like to play the controversial filmmaker LeniRiefenstahl because she found her "very fascinating", has also beencast in Schlingensief's latest play Kaprow City which opens in Berlin's Volksbuehnetheatre on September 13.

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