A: Anne Frank was full of dreams, emotions and hope, and wrote about all these things. Although her writing has timeless aspects, the art of story-telling and the understanding of history are changing. It was crucial for us to have Kitty as a main character in the film. Despite always being there in the diary, she was never portrayed. To understand Anne, it’s important to see Kitty. Animation allows us to show Anne’s imaginary friend while using the language of the present. A story that was never told.
A: That’s what animation’s like. It’s handcrafted. Given that we brought together the greatest talents in animation, we were obliged to produce the film in the best studios around the world. You can’t compromise on quality. We now have proof that our approach was the right one, as “Where is Anne Frank” is being distributed around the world.
A: The Graphic Diary is an adaptation of Anne Frank’s original text and contains selected dialogues based on the diary. The Graphic Diary was written, compiled, and illustrated by Ari Folman and David Polonsky.
A: When the Anne Frank Fonds, together with the family, decided in 2009 to create an animated film, two questions were paramount: how can we reach future young readers in their own language without making concessions in terms of the work and the persons mentioned in it; and how can the reader’s edition continue to reach young people? This year we are also publishing the critical scholarly edition of the diaries to underline the importance of an academic approach. The aspects of storytelling and of dealing with documents are equally important.
A: The definitive reader’s edition is still being read around the world. In recent years, the readership has actuallygrown, especially in countries where there has been renewed interest in Anne Frank. At the same time, reading behaviour is changing. Young people today are socialized differently and are growing up in a different historical context with a different educational background. Due to the Internet, images have become increasingly important, which is why we created the graphic edition of the diary with original texts, illustrations, and images.
A: We developed the project with a view of completing it for the 75th anniversary of the first publication of the diary in 1947 and 65 years after the first film. The world today is experiencing increasing Holocaust denial, discrimination, anti-Semitism and a lack of knowledge. It was important to find a new language to tell the story for a new generation without making any compromises in terms of the original text.
A: Yes, it can open doors. For this reason “Where is Anne Frank” is accompanied by an extensive educational package for schools, which is being released with the film. We have an educational mandate to fulfil, namely to introduce the past, teach history, and raise awareness.
A: We obviously don’t know, but we can learn from the decisions he made during his life. After he had the diary published 1947, Otto Frank realised that the book needed to be adapted for theatres and cinemas. This decision meant that the diary enjoyed global fame following a successful Broadway show and the famous Oscar-winning film by George Stevens. The Anne Frank Fonds and the family are thus, to a certain extent, following in Otto and Anne Frank’s footsteps with this project. Anne wanted to become a writer, and at times she dreamt of being an actor. She adored her cousin Buddy Elias, who himself became an actor, so you could say that this approach is part of the family’s legacy.
A: The family supported and promoted the projects from the start, because these literary forms correspond to thewritten and oral tradition that has always been part of the family. Anne Frank’s cousin, Buddy Elias, who was President of the Anne Frank Fonds until 2015, approved the script and was delighted with the first developments of the animated film. He immediately recognised this as a way to reach a new generation of readers.
A: In animation everything is possible, but not everything should be done. The diary is a historical source and not a novel.The animated film needs to recognise and respect this aspect. It was, therefore, important to remain faithful to the text, preserving the integrity of the individuals and of history as well as the facts. At the same time, however, it was also clear that exaggerations, condensing and narrative solutions were required. This is why we were delighted that director Ari Folman agreed to make the film. He wrote an amazing script that grasps the dimension of the Holocaust and the means of talking about it to today’s generation.
A: “Where is Anne Frank” is an artistic solution that aims to capture the essence of the original and the time in which itwas written. The parts of the script set in the past are fully based on the diary. At the same time, this adaptation is necessarily a condensation of the diary and provides a wider perspective that extends into the present and also tells the story of the last seven months of Anne and Margot Frank. It’s based on research undertaken in numerous archives, including the archives in the Frank Family Center in Frankfurt (Germany).
A: The Graphic Diary is based on the original text, consisting of Anne Frank's letters to Kitty following the dates of the entries in the diary chronologically from the first to the last entry. The Graphic Diary brings these letters to life by connecting the text and the images, reading between the lines, as well as interpreting and condensing the text.
A: Anne Frank possessed noteworthy narrative skills and sharp powers of observation, which make the diary meaningful beyond its role as a historical testimony. We selected this genre as we wanted to reflect this, by retaining the diary as a contemporary document and preserving the character of the original. The Graphic Diary uses a lot of the original text, which is unusual for a book of this kind. This was, however, the only way for us to ensure that the diary maintains its integrity and authenticity. It is not a graphic novel about Anne or the Frank family, but instead, it issimply the diary in graphic form.
A: Exactly. The Kitty Book tells the story of the last seven months of the Frank family that are not covered in the diary: the awful journeys of Anne and Margot to the Westerbork, Auschwitz and Bergen-Belsen camps; the Holocaust. And finally the book deals with the present in accordance with the legacy of Otto Frank and the family. The Kitty Book develops the narrative along the lines of the text and in accordance with the dates in Anne Frank’s diary. And it offers a much wider view of the dimension of the story of the Frank family, including documents. As the team also used thefamily archives, historical archives, and many other sources, in addition to the creative effort behind every illustration, a great deal of research went into the illustrations and, ultimately, the narrative plot.
A: Mainly in Israel, Switzerland, and Belgium, but also to a certain extent in the Frank family’s hometown of Frankfurtand their emigration destination, Amsterdam.
A: High-quality and good solutions take time. First we had a long discussion within the Anne Frank Fonds about whether and how we should create this project. For years we had been waiting for good projects, but they never showed up. It was clear to us that it was crucial that the Kitty Story be told to enhance understanding of the diary and its legacy. Using this approach, we engaged in lengthy exchanges with the family. We would never have created the animation or the graphic books without their approval. We invested a great deal of time in finding the scriptwriter, director and team. Once Ari Folman had agreed to the project, we set up a research team to work on the script and a development team for the technique. Animation always requires a lengthy period of preparation. Dealing with the Holocaust takes even more time, especially when it is associated with educational work.
A: Ari Folman is one of the best scriptwriters and one of the most talented writers of dialogues. He listens, understands and reflects. He puts the subject of the film above artificial solutions. We didn’t have to give him specifications on how to deal with the Holocaust. He grew up as the son of Holocaust survivors and he grew up with war, so he understands history from experience and not only from reading books. We knew from the beginning that the top priority was the script and not the technique. We always knew that once the script worked, everything else would work out. There are no second takes in animation, which means it’s about the script. Ten years later we know that we made the perfect decision and are delighted that Ari Folman brought Art Director Lena Guberman onto the project. She visualised the project that we and Ari Folman had imagined.
A: The one major guideline was to respect the authenticity and integrity of the work and of real people, and to provide a genuine reflection of Anne Frank’s text. Artists are ambassadors of stories. Ari Folman and the team had total freedom to create this film and enjoyed the complete trust of the Anne Frank Fonds. Viewers should judge the result for themselves after watching the film.
A: When it comes to the past, these elements are dramatic, but never fictional; they originate from, or are based on, the original text in the diary. What is shown in the film is what arises from reading the text and from what Anne Frank wrote about her dreams, emotions and wishes. Although the part about the Holocaust is not in the diary, Ari Folman and the team researched the fate of the family. The scenes set in the present are fiction and relate to the diary from Kitty’s perspective.
A: Anne and Margot Frank were two of 1.5 million Jewish children killed during the Holocaust. Children are still fleeing from conflict zones and their lives are in danger; minorities, refugees and individuals are still discriminated against. Reading the diary without putting it into the context of the present is meaningless as we need to learn the lessons of the past to make a difference. This is Otto Frank’s legacy for the world and for the Anne Frank Fonds. We need to remember the past through the diary, learn the lessons of history, and actively work towards peace by living together and engaging in dialogue.
A: The Anne Frank Fonds is a charitable NGO. Our purpose is to provide education about the Holocaust, to teach dialogue in a multi-cultural and multi-faith open society, and to raise awareness of children’s and human rights. The foundation owns one of the most important legacy texts of the Holocaust and painstakingly ensures that it is published and used in a respectful and meaningful way. We initiate projects such as the film not as an end in itself but to open doors on teaching about the past and the present. Our aim is not to educate but to transfer knowledge. The international educational package will be released alongside the film to provide opportunities of dealing with the subject in schools. This is actually the biggest achievement of the project.
A: The reader’s edition combines the different versions of the diary of Anne Frank in a single comprehensive volume. It was compiled by Mirjam Pressler and is translated worldwide as the definitive edition. It replaces the 1947 edition,which was based on an abridged and different compilation of the texts.
A: Not at all. The reader’s edition is and remains the principal work of Anne Frank. We ensure that it remains available around the world in an unabridged form and in good translations at a reasonable price. The Graphic Diary aims to serve as an introduction or as additional reading, but the reader’s edition is and remains a fixed element of school literature. The Graphic Diary is to be understood as a supplement.
A: At an international young readership from the age of 12 years onwards and at families. It is also intended for adults who read the diary when they were growing up and who can now experience it in a new form.
A: There is the worldwide definitive and authorised reader’s edition. This is the edition that can be found around the world and that is read in schools. In addition, since 2013, all Anne Frank’s texts have been combined in a collected works edition. This edition is published in new translations on an ongoing basis and is aimed at senior-level school children, teachers and students. A new scholarly critical edition of the Anne Frank diaries, which is an academic editionwith new translations, will also be published in 2021/22.
A: From the beginning, Anne Frank’s cousin Buddy Elias supported the decision to create this narrative form of the diary and demonstrated strong commitment to the idea throughout. This is because he recognized this as fulfilling an important last wish of his uncle, Otto Frank, namely to reach as wide a circle of readers as possible. The Anne Frank Fonds (which Buddy Elias was President of until his death in 2015) and the family have always focused on preserving the authenticity of the text above all else. At the same time, it was clear to Buddy Elias, who was himself a gifted narrator and actor, that this form would appeal to young people today. The film manages to juxtapose the humour and imagination that have always been prevalent in the family with the sad and serious known context of the story.
A: Otto Frank wanted to ensure that the diary was published around the world in a thoughtful and responsible manner, and that all the proceeds from the book would flow back into society or into projects run by organisations that promoteeducation, dialogue, and coexistence. This is why he appointed the Fonds as his universal heir. It is the onlyorganisation that Otto Frank ever founded and managed.
A: The Anne Frank Fonds ensures that the estate of the family is professionally safeguarded in the archives. As the copyright holder of the texts, the organisation licenses these to partner publishers for authorised and well-translated global editions. The Anne Frank Fonds grants licenses for productions in the performing arts. It promotes scholarly investigations of history and the archives as well as their dissemination for training and educational projects. In addition, the organisation represents the family.
A: The Anne Frank Fonds donates all proceeds to charities around the world for educational or scholarly work. It also funds projects that promote the story in an effort to fight discrimination against minorities, to stand up for children’s rights, and to raise awareness of anti-Semitism. The Board of Trustees of the Anne Frank Fonds serves in an honorary capacity.