National Geographic’s “A Small Light” takes the well known story of Anne Frank, the Jewish teenager who hid in a cramped Amsterdam attic with her family during the Nazi occupation, and presents it though a new lens.
The narrative focuses on a tenacious young woman, Miep Gies (Bel Powley), Otto Frank’s secretary, who risked everything to save the Frank family and many others. While the story centers around the horrors of World War II, the story finds resilience and hope through it all.
Here the artisans behind the limited series break down how their respective crafts reflect hope, resilience and the atrocities of war.
Costume design
Costume designer Matthew Simonelli wanted to pay respect to the period and region. “It had to feel 1942, but that it was taking place in Amsterdam,” Simonelli says.
The Amsterdam Museum‘s exhibit on wartime fashion was his biggest guide where he was...
The narrative focuses on a tenacious young woman, Miep Gies (Bel Powley), Otto Frank’s secretary, who risked everything to save the Frank family and many others. While the story centers around the horrors of World War II, the story finds resilience and hope through it all.
Here the artisans behind the limited series break down how their respective crafts reflect hope, resilience and the atrocities of war.
Costume design
Costume designer Matthew Simonelli wanted to pay respect to the period and region. “It had to feel 1942, but that it was taking place in Amsterdam,” Simonelli says.
The Amsterdam Museum‘s exhibit on wartime fashion was his biggest guide where he was...
- 6/21/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Previously in A Small Light, Jan’s secret involvement with the resistance was exposed to Miep by her brother, Cas. Miep’s fears grew when she learned that Jan was supposed to participate in a dangerous bombing mission. However, Jan decided not to go through with it, to Miep’s relief. Meanwhile, the attack was successfully carried out, but Willem Arondeus along with the attackers were captured and given a death sentence. However, Miep and Jan started to feel that the Franks and the other families in the annex were no longer safe there. With lists of Jewish hideouts in the hands of the Nazis and increased surveillance, they realized it was necessary to move them. As news of the Allies’ landing reached the annex, bringing hope for liberation, Miep faced a terrifying encounter. A Nazi officer held her at gunpoint, creating a sense of impending danger.
Spoilers Ahead
How...
Spoilers Ahead
How...
- 5/23/2023
- by Poulami Nanda
- Film Fugitives
National Geographic's A Small Light continues tonight with another two episodes.
TV Fanatic scored an exclusive first look at what's ahead, and it looks like things are going from bad to worse for Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber).
In the clip, we see Miep (Bel Powley) speak to Otto about recent events and how things might change very soon.
Otto is worried about the Nsb officer snooping around, but Miep tries to calm him down.
With his back pushed against the wall, Otto ponders what will happen next.
It's an excellent look at the series and how Miep tries to help Otto by making him realize that he's a wonderful father and has made the right decisions.
Based on an inspiring true story, Miep Gies (Bel Powley) was young, carefree and opinionated — at a time when opinions got you killed ― when Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) asked her to help hide his...
TV Fanatic scored an exclusive first look at what's ahead, and it looks like things are going from bad to worse for Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber).
In the clip, we see Miep (Bel Powley) speak to Otto about recent events and how things might change very soon.
Otto is worried about the Nsb officer snooping around, but Miep tries to calm him down.
With his back pushed against the wall, Otto ponders what will happen next.
It's an excellent look at the series and how Miep tries to help Otto by making him realize that he's a wonderful father and has made the right decisions.
Based on an inspiring true story, Miep Gies (Bel Powley) was young, carefree and opinionated — at a time when opinions got you killed ― when Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) asked her to help hide his...
- 5/8/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
Previously, in episode 1 of A Small Light, we already knew how Miep met Otto Frank. She met the love of her life, Jan Gies, at a pub; however, their first meeting was not a particularly memorable experience for them. Later, the two of them eventually crossed paths and tied the knot. Meanwhile, during the German invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, Otto Frank asked Miep to help them hide in an annex, marking them safe from the Nazi attack. Miep decided to help Otto without hesitation, and she demonstrated her usefulness by securely transporting Otto’s eldest daughter, Margot, to the secret annex in Otto Frank’s office building. In A Small Light episode 2, we’ll find out what the future holds for Miep and the Franks.
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Miep And Jan Manage To Collect Rations For The Franks?
In the eerie opening scene of A Small Light Episode...
Spoilers Ahead
How Did Miep And Jan Manage To Collect Rations For The Franks?
In the eerie opening scene of A Small Light Episode...
- 5/4/2023
- by Poulami Nanda
- Film Fugitives
National Geographic today released the first trailer for the forthcoming Holocaust-themed eight-part limited series “A Small Light” starring BAFTA and Indie Spirit nominee Bel Powley, Liev Schreiber and Joe Cole that will have a multinetwork launch on May 1 at 9 p.m. Et/Pt, with a simulcast of the first pair of episodes across Nat Geo, Nat Geo Wild and Lifetime and streaming the following day on Disney+ and Hulu. Freeform will encore the premiere episodes on May 6.
See the official trailer below.
“A Small Light” reaches beyond the specific tale of Anne Frank to tell the true story of her protectors Miep Gies (played by Powley in the series) and Miep’s husband Jan (Cole). Miep was initially a young, carefree and party-hearty young woman working as a secretary in Anne’s father Otto Frank’s (played here by Schreiber) company in the Netherlands in 1942 when the heat of Nazi...
See the official trailer below.
“A Small Light” reaches beyond the specific tale of Anne Frank to tell the true story of her protectors Miep Gies (played by Powley in the series) and Miep’s husband Jan (Cole). Miep was initially a young, carefree and party-hearty young woman working as a secretary in Anne’s father Otto Frank’s (played here by Schreiber) company in the Netherlands in 1942 when the heat of Nazi...
- 4/4/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
National Geographic has released the trailer from the upcoming eight-part limited series ‘A Small Light’. The powerful series, produced by ABC Signature and Keshet Studios, will stream on Disney+ in the U.K. on 2 May.
Based on an inspiring true story, Miep Gies (Bel Powley) was young, carefree and opinionated — at a time when opinions got you killed ― when Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) asked her to help hide his family from the Nazis during WWII. Without hesitation, Miep agreed. For the next two years, she and her daring and devoted husband, Jan (Joe Cole), with several other everyday heroes, watched over the Frank, van Pels and Pfeffer families hiding in the secret annexe.
Told with a modern sensibility, the series shakes the cobwebs of history and makes Miep’s story feel relevant, forcing audiences to ask themselves what they would have done in Miep’s shoes; and in modern times,...
Based on an inspiring true story, Miep Gies (Bel Powley) was young, carefree and opinionated — at a time when opinions got you killed ― when Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) asked her to help hide his family from the Nazis during WWII. Without hesitation, Miep agreed. For the next two years, she and her daring and devoted husband, Jan (Joe Cole), with several other everyday heroes, watched over the Frank, van Pels and Pfeffer families hiding in the secret annexe.
Told with a modern sensibility, the series shakes the cobwebs of history and makes Miep’s story feel relevant, forcing audiences to ask themselves what they would have done in Miep’s shoes; and in modern times,...
- 4/4/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
National Geographic has released the official trailer for the eight-part limited series A Small Light.
The series will have a multinetwork launch on Monday, May 1, at 9/8c with a simulcast across National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, and Lifetime of the first two episodes.
On Saturday, May 6 at 8/7c, Freeform will encore the premiere episodes.
For the full series run, two episodes will debut every Monday at 9/8c on National Geographic, stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, and will be available on the Nat Geo TV and ABC apps.
"Based on an inspiring true story, Miep Gies (Bel Powley) was young, carefree and opinionated — at a time when opinions got you killed ― when Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) asked her to help hide his family from the Nazis during WWII," the official logline reads.
"Without hesitation, Miep agreed. For the next two years, she and her daring and devoted husband,...
The series will have a multinetwork launch on Monday, May 1, at 9/8c with a simulcast across National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild, and Lifetime of the first two episodes.
On Saturday, May 6 at 8/7c, Freeform will encore the premiere episodes.
For the full series run, two episodes will debut every Monday at 9/8c on National Geographic, stream the next day on Disney+ and Hulu, and will be available on the Nat Geo TV and ABC apps.
"Based on an inspiring true story, Miep Gies (Bel Powley) was young, carefree and opinionated — at a time when opinions got you killed ― when Otto Frank (Liev Schreiber) asked her to help hide his family from the Nazis during WWII," the official logline reads.
"Without hesitation, Miep agreed. For the next two years, she and her daring and devoted husband,...
- 4/4/2023
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
National Geographic has release a trailer for A Small Light, its upcoming scripted series about those who boldly chose to hide Anne Frank’s family and others from the Nazis during World War II.
The eight-episode series will have a multinetwork launch on Monday, May 1, at 9/8c — with a simulcast of the first two episodes across National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild and Lifetime. Freeform will air the same episodes on Saturday, May 6 at 8pm.
More from TVLineA Small Light: NatGeo Limited Series About Anne Frank Ally Sets PremiereLiev Schreiber to Play Anne Frank's Father in Disney+ Series A Small LightTVLine Items: Good Trouble Premiere,...
The eight-episode series will have a multinetwork launch on Monday, May 1, at 9/8c — with a simulcast of the first two episodes across National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild and Lifetime. Freeform will air the same episodes on Saturday, May 6 at 8pm.
More from TVLineA Small Light: NatGeo Limited Series About Anne Frank Ally Sets PremiereLiev Schreiber to Play Anne Frank's Father in Disney+ Series A Small LightTVLine Items: Good Trouble Premiere,...
- 4/4/2023
- by Matt Webb Mitovich
- TVLine.com
“A Small Light,” Nat Geo’s upcoming dramatic limited series, tells the story of Miep Gies, best known to history as the Dutch woman who, along with her husband Jan, hid the family of Anne Frank during the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands.
The series, which premieres May 1, tells Miep’s story during the darkest days of the war as she and her husband become increasingly desperate under Nazi occupation. But when asked by her employer, Otto Frank, for help hiding his family from the death squads, she agrees unflinchingly. See for yourself in the trailer right now at the top of the page.
For 2 years the Miep and Jan hid the Franks as well as 4 members of the Pfeffer family — until they were betrayed and the Franks and Pfeffers, arrested by the Nazi police, were taken to various concentration camps. The Gies evaded arrest and execution by almost pure luck,...
The series, which premieres May 1, tells Miep’s story during the darkest days of the war as she and her husband become increasingly desperate under Nazi occupation. But when asked by her employer, Otto Frank, for help hiding his family from the death squads, she agrees unflinchingly. See for yourself in the trailer right now at the top of the page.
For 2 years the Miep and Jan hid the Franks as well as 4 members of the Pfeffer family — until they were betrayed and the Franks and Pfeffers, arrested by the Nazi police, were taken to various concentration camps. The Gies evaded arrest and execution by almost pure luck,...
- 4/4/2023
- by Ross A. Lincoln
- The Wrap
Anne Frank continues to resonate as perhaps the most famous symbol of Jewish suffering and persecution in the face of the unimaginable horrors of the Holocaust during World War II. It was her teenage diary, after all, that remains perhaps the most vivid description of what it was like to live under Nazi occupation – specifically in Amsterdam between 1942 and ’44, while her family was in hiding and she wrote her famed remembrance of being sheltered out of view until a betrayal led to their being discovered.
It was a woman named Miep Gies, however, who provided a first-hand aural witness’s account of those hiding out in what came to be known as the Secret Annex. It’s her tale that’s told in “A Small Light,” a powerful eight-part limited series from NatGeo that premieres with a pair of installments on May 1 and streams the next day on Disney+. It...
It was a woman named Miep Gies, however, who provided a first-hand aural witness’s account of those hiding out in what came to be known as the Secret Annex. It’s her tale that’s told in “A Small Light,” a powerful eight-part limited series from NatGeo that premieres with a pair of installments on May 1 and streams the next day on Disney+. It...
- 3/23/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
There have been no shortage of retellings of Anne Frank’s iconic book “The Diary of a Young Girl.” From the time it was first published in 1947 as Het Achterhuis (The Secret Annex) in Dutch in a small edition of 3,036 copies and went on to become one of the most translated books in the world, it’s been adapted to every medium imaginable – from stage to screens big and small, as a musical, as a dance interpretation, even as a 2017 graphic diary. The first play version of “The Diary of Anne Frank” hit Broadway in 1955 and proved a rousing success, running more than 700 performances and earning its playwrights a Pulitzer Prize. A 1959 theatrical film directed by George Stevens earned eight Academy Award nominations and won three: for Shelley Winters as supporting actress as well as its cinematography and art direction/set decoration.
Yet throughout all of the wartime story’s many renderings,...
Yet throughout all of the wartime story’s many renderings,...
- 3/20/2023
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
Since the enormous popularity surrounding Elvis Presley and Marilyn Monroe has never waned in the seven decades since they both rocketed to superstardom, it’s no wonder that Austin Butler and Ana de Armas sailed to Oscar nominations for portraying them in the 2022 films “Elvis” and “Blonde.” What is odd, however, is that the respective Best Actor and Best Actress hopefuls are the only ones nominated in any of this year’s acting categories for playing real people. While this 90 percent fictional character rate is far from unprecedented, it does stand in stark contrast to the preceding decade’s average of 59 percent and thus raises questions as to why academy voters chose to veer in the opposite direction.
The last instance of two or fewer portrayals of real people leading to Oscar nominations in the same year involved 2003 Best Actress champ Charlize Theron, whose “Monster” character, Aileen Wuornos, stood completely...
The last instance of two or fewer portrayals of real people leading to Oscar nominations in the same year involved 2003 Best Actress champ Charlize Theron, whose “Monster” character, Aileen Wuornos, stood completely...
- 3/6/2023
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
A forthcoming “cold case” documentary investigating who betrayed Anne Frank’s hiding place has uncovered a new suspect.
Investigators, including a former FBI agent, believe Arnold van den Bergh, a one-time member of Amsterdam’s Jewish Council, may have been responsible for revealing Frank’s hiding place in the secret attic above her father’s office.
The documentary’s investigators suggest Arnold van den Bergh betrayed the Franks in order to save himself, although some have said the evidence for this is “weak.”
What remains undisputed is that after receiving a tip-off from an unknown individual, the Nazi SS discovered Frank, her parents Otto and Edith, her older sister Margot, a dentist called Fritz Pfeffer and another family, the Van Pels, hiding in the attic. All eight occupants were sent to Auschwitz.
Frank was able to pack only a handful of possessions and was forced to leave behind her diary,...
Investigators, including a former FBI agent, believe Arnold van den Bergh, a one-time member of Amsterdam’s Jewish Council, may have been responsible for revealing Frank’s hiding place in the secret attic above her father’s office.
The documentary’s investigators suggest Arnold van den Bergh betrayed the Franks in order to save himself, although some have said the evidence for this is “weak.”
What remains undisputed is that after receiving a tip-off from an unknown individual, the Nazi SS discovered Frank, her parents Otto and Edith, her older sister Margot, a dentist called Fritz Pfeffer and another family, the Van Pels, hiding in the attic. All eight occupants were sent to Auschwitz.
Frank was able to pack only a handful of possessions and was forced to leave behind her diary,...
- 1/17/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
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