The Pulitzer Prize-winning Jewish writer David Mamet is to script a new film version of the diary of Anne Frank.
The film, produced by Walt Disney, will be closely based on the diary of 15-year-old Anne, who died of typhus in Bergen-Belsen concentration camp after hiding in Nazi-occupied Holland for two years with her family.
Mr Mamet won the Pulitzer Prize for his play Glengarry Glen Ross, which was later turned into film starring Al Pacino.
More recently, Mr Mamet received Oscar nominations for his screenplays and The Verdict
He has written several books on Judaism and Jewish history, including The Old Religion about the lynching of Leo Frank, and The Wicked Son, a study of Jewish self-hatred and antisemitism.
Karen Pollock, Chief Executive of the Holocaust Educational Trust welcomed the new film.
She said: “The real stories of Holocaust Survivors and victims are more compelling than fiction could ever be – especially that of Anne Frank, whose Diary has touched the lives of millions of young people and helped them engage with realities of the Holocaust. Hopefully this film will further encourage future generations to consider the vital lessons of tolerance and opposition to prejudice that the Holocaust teaches us.”
Numerous film and adaptations have been made of Anne Frank’s diary, including a Japanese anime film, but the most critically acclaimed has been George Stevens’ 1959 film, which won three academy awards.
The diary was recently made into BBC series in January 2009.