New Adaptation of THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK to Air on NHPTV April 16

(DURHAM, April 6, 2010) — A Jewish teenager hiding from the Nazis pours out her heart to the only true friend she has left: her diary. On Friday, April 16 at 9 p.m., New Hampshire Public Television will air a captivating new adaptation of one of the world’s most beloved and widely read memoirs, THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK, as part of the PBS MASTERPIECE series. While in hiding from the Nazis in occupied Amsterdam during World War II, Anne recorded her hopes, fears, and experiences. Discovered in a cramped secret annex after the family was arrested, the diary was kept by Miep Gies, one of the people who helped hide Anne and her family.THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK is a modern literary classic and an unprecedented social document. Since its publication more than 50 years ago, it has become the world’s most widely read work of nonfiction, second only to the Bible.The filmmakers received special permission to use passages of the diaries previously deemed off-limits by the family. To enhance the film’s authenticity, the production team meticulously recreated the annex where the Frank lived for two years. “Every generation needs to look at Anne from its own perspective,” says MASTERPIECE executive producer Rebecca Eaton. “In this new Masterpiece adaptation, viewers will see Anne as a bright, charming, and difficult teenager – and as the gifted writer that she was.”The film features a remarkable performance by newcomer Ellie Kendrick (An Education), who brings to life the impassioned reflections of a teenage girl trying to live an ordinary life under extraordinary circumstances. The cast also includes Iain Glenn (Into the Storm) and Tamsin Greig (Shaun of the Dead) as Anne’s father and mother, Otto and Edith Frank.A teacher’s guide, book club materials, and resources for THE DIARY OF ANNE FRANK are available at www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/annefrank/index.htmlALSO AIRING ON NHPTV DURING HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE WEEKRape of Europa Sunday, April 11th @ 4 PM Relates how Europe’s art treasures survived the systematic theft and deliberate destruction perpetrated by Germany’s Third Reich during World War II.Lessons for LifeSunday, April 11th @ 6 PM A group of high school teachers, lawmakers and dignitaries take a poignant and enlightening journey to Germany, Poland and Israel as they research the Holocaust. As a result, they develop a curriculum on the topic for New Jersey's public school system.House of Life: The Old Jewish Cemetery in PragueMonday, April 12th @ 10 PM Tells the story of The Old Jewish Cemetery in Prague, the site of layer upon layer of buried members of the once-vibrant Jewish community. Cinema’s Exiles: From Hitler to HollywoodWednesday, April 14th @ 9 PM Traces the experiences of the Jews who fled Nazi Germany and took refuge in Hollywood, and examines their impact on both the German and the American cinemas.Worse Than WarThursday, April 15th @ 11 PMBased on Daniel Goldhagen’s book of the same title, this is an exploration of the nature of genocide, ethnic cleansing and large-scale mass murder in our time.Among the Righteous: Lost Stories from the Holocaust in Arab LandsFriday, April 16th @ 11 PMSeeking a hopeful response to the plague of Holocaust denial in the Arab world and, in the wake of 9/11, Rob Satloff, head of a Washington policy center, set out on an eight-year journey to find an Arab hero whose story would change the way Arabs view Jews, themselves, and their own history. Independent Lens: Blessed Is the MatchSunday, April 18th @ 11 PMJoan Allen narrates the first documentary feature about Hannah Senesh, the World War II-era poet and diarist who became a paratrooper, resistance fighter and modern-day Joan of Arc.

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