This autumn filming for THE GIRL WHO LEARNED HOW TO KNEEL will start in Amsterdam. This 6-part drama series tells the true story of Etty Hillesum, in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam from the 1940s until her death in Auschwitz in 1943. The series will be broadcast internationally from 2026.
As a 27-year-old student in Amsterdam, Etty Hillesum wrote a diary which shows a deep and indestructible faith in humanity. As her therapist ánd true love, the charismatic psychoanalyst Julius Spier witnesses Etty’s inner search up close. While her freedom and life are threatened by the war and everything around her is full of hatred, Etty manages to continue to believe in the beauty of life and humanity. Ultimately, Etty leaves voluntarily for camp Westerbork to help people there, until she is herself deported to Auschwitz in 1943.
Etty Hillesum’s collected diaries AN INTERRUPTED LIFE which she kept from 1941, were published in 1981 and appeared in over 20 countries.
Her diaries resonated with millions of readers worldwide and to this day, Etty Hillesum’s philosophy is still an inspiration to many. Etty Hillesum was murdered in Auschwitz in 1943, only 29 years old.
The series is written and directed by Hagai Levi, internationally renowned for, among other things, the acclaimed THE AFFAIR, SCENES FROM A MARRIAGE, and as the founder of the many international adaptations of IN TREATMENT, of which a Dutch adaptation has also been made, IN THERAPIE.
Hagai Levi about the project: “Etty’s firm stand against hatred, the inspiration she gives you to find an inner space within yourself where you are free and protected and the radical solidarity she offers us, show that she has never been as relevant as she is now.”
The casting will be announced at a later date.
THE GIRL WHO LEARNED HOW TO KNEEL is a production of Les Films du Poisson in co-production with the Dutch Topkapi Films, the German KomplizenFilm and the Italian Quiddity.
The series is supported by the NTR, Creative Europe MEDIA co-development, Arte France, SWR and Medienboard Berlin Brandenburg.