Knightley stars in Chanel short film

NEW YORK, Sept. 12 (UPI) -- British actress Keira Knightley has reunited with her "Pride & Prejudice" director, Joe Wright, for a short film called "Coco Mademoiselle."

In it, the Oscar-nominated screen star plays the role of a modern-day incarnation of French style icon Coco Chanel.

"Coco Chanel's strong personality, her bold temperament and her charisma were impressive," Knightley said in a statement. "There was no one like her in the world ... her impact went beyond fashion and transformed society by liberating women in both a real and figurative sense."

Shot in five days in Paris, the short film was directed by Wright and overseen by Chanel artistic director Jacques Helleu, the man who has developed the image of Chanel for 40 years.

The film's theme song, "L-O-V-E" is performed by Grammy Award winner Joss Stone.

A national cable television flight of 30- and 60-second spots is scheduled to debut Sept. 24 through Oct. 7.

In April 2006, Knightley became the new face of Chanel, starring in high-profile advertising campaigns and following in the footsteps of Nicole Kidman, Ali McGraw, Catherine Deneuve, Vanessa Paradis and Anna Mouglalis.