British actor and comedian Stephen Fry is set to present the documentary Willem & Frieda which chronicles the harrowing story of two LGBTQ+ artists who joined the Dutch anti-Nazi resistance during World War II. The script for the documentary was penned by Rik Carmichael with John Hay attached to direct it.
The artist and author Willem Arondeus, who was gay, and his friend, the cellist Frieda Belinfante, who was lesbian, bravely forged documents for Jews living in the Netherlands under German occupation. However, the Municipal Office for Population Registration was making it increasingly difficult for the forgeries to be accepted by the Nazis as authentic since the documents could be easily checked for legitimacy against registration lists. Willem, Frieda, and other associates developed a plan to blow up the Records Office, destroying all records without bringing harm to anyone. On March 27, 1943, the plan was executed and yielded partial success.
Regarding the project, The Hollywood Reporter quoted Fry as saying: “I confess that, before Rik Carmichael and John Hay sent me the fruits of their amazing research, I had never heard of Willem Arondeus or Frieda Belinfante; whom I now regard as authentic and remarkable heroes. Living their lives as openly gay in the 1930s was remarkable enough, but once the Nazis invaded their homeland of the Netherlands, they found in themselves a depth of courage and determination that, across the years, remains truly inspiring. It’s a question we often ask ourselves – how would I respond to the occupation of my country? Would I fight for freedom or duck down and keep out of trouble? I think the world needs to be reminded of Willem and Frieda, ordinary people who found extraordinary inner resources…”
Indeed, these courageous and inspirational deeds should be brought to light and there is no one better to be the central figure who will help tell this story than Fry, who himself is an outspoken member of the LGBTQ+ community who was hailed as a “hero of the people” at the British LGBT Awards in 2019. In the documentary, he will be presenting and interviewing historians as well as going to the locations where the memorable events took place.
The project comes from Atticus Films with Channel 4 on board and Disrupting Influence handling international sales. The documentary will be produced by Julian Scott with Disrupting Influence’s Glenn Kendrick Ackermann, Jason Piette, and Ewan Dunbar as executive producers. The project will enter its principal photography stage on June 6.
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