Sponsored by the Anne Frank Foundation in Basel, the movie is being directed by Ari Folman, the director responsible for the highly acclaimed Israeli animated war documentary film, Waltz with Bashir.
The movie will be based entirely on Folman’s research from his exclusive access to the Frank Family Archives. It will follow Kitty, Anne Frank’s imaginary friend and the person she wrote her diary entries to, as she finds out what happened to Anne during the last seven months of her life.
Where is Anne Frank is currently in production and will be a blend of stop-motion and 2D animation. They will use models for the characters and blend them in with the 2D animated backgrounds. The models will be created by Andy Grant, the puppeteer who worked on Wes Anderson’s Fantastic Mr Fox, while the art director and chief illustrator for Waltz with Bashir, David Polonsky, will be reprising these roles on another Folman movie.
Folman’s own parents were Holocaust survivors. They were wed in 1944 and sent to Auschwitz the morning after they were married. As he announced the film in 2013, Folman spoke passionately about the subject: “Bringing the Anne Frank Diary to all screens is a fantastic opportunity and challenge,” He said.
“There is a real need for new artistic material to keep the memory alive for younger generations.”
> Charlotte Lenihan
