STEPHEN FRY: WILLEM AND FRIEDA - DEFYING THE NAZIS

During the occupation of the Netherlands in WW2, Willem Arondeus, a painter and Frieda Belinfante, a cellist, used their artistic skills to forge identity cards that saved thousands of Jews from the death camps.

This was no mean task as, at the time, the Dutch had the most sophisticated identity card system in the world and, what’s more, the Nazis had a clever backup: each card they issued had a duplicate stored in the Amsterdam Central Records Office to prevent forgery.

Willem realised he had to take action and, with a rag-tag gang of fellow artists, he led a daring raid to blow up the Central Records Office and destroy the duplicate cards. There was only one proviso: no one could be harmed in the process because “We are not like them”.

Stephen Fry goes on a very personal journey to Amsterdam to discover why this incredible story has remained largely hidden to the present day.

"You might assume all the most compelling WWII tales have been told already. But not this one." THE GUARDIAN
***** [Five Stars] THE GUARDIAN
"Inspiring, informative and very moving. A celebration of man's love for his fellow man." ATTITUDE
"Needs to be seen to be believed." EVENING STANDARD
"A remarkable, remarkable watch that I would definitely recommend." RADIO TIMES
"An important reminder to never forget." THE TELEGRAPH
"Extraordinary." THE OBSERVER
"Astonishing." THE TIMES
"Stunning." THE PINK NEWS

GENRES

Documentary / History

DURATION

1 x 76-minutes (1 x 68-minute version also available)

BROADCASTER

Channel 4

YEAR OF PRODUCTION

2023

PRODUCED BY

Atticus Film

COUNTRY OF PRODUCTION

Netherlands & UK

Presenter

Stephen Fry

Director

John Hay

Producer

Julian Scott
JERUSALEM FILM FESTIVAL
Official Selection
MIAMI JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
Official Selection
ATLANTA JEWISH FILM FESTIVAL
Official Selection
EDINBURGH FILM AWARDS
Best Documentary - NOMINEE
ROTTERDAM INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
Official Selection
AUSTRALIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS
Silver Award for Cinematography
DENVER MOVIE AWARDS
Best Documentary - NOMINEE
DOCS WITHOUT BORDERS INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Best of Show in LGBT
AUSTIN INTERNATIONAL ART FESTIVAL
Best International Documentary Film - WINNER
EUROPEAN CINEMATOGRAPHY AWARDS
Best Documentary Film - WINNER
BFI FLARE
Official Selection
HAWAII INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Official Selection
NASHVILLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Official Selection
SAN JOSE INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
Official Selection
FLICKERS' RHODE ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL
Official Selection
SANTA CRUZ INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL
Official Selection

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