Newen Connect has confirmed that it will lead international sales on “Etty,” which began filming at the weekend in Amsterdam and Berlin. The series is a Les Films du Poisson, Komplizen Serien, Topkapi, ARTE and Quiddity production for ARTE (France), SWR (Germany) and NPO (Netherlands). Filming is expected to conclude mid December 2024.
Loosely based on the diary of Esther “Etty” Hillesum, the six-part series recounts the remarkable life of the Dutch Jewish author from 1941 to 1943 outlining her spiritual awakening against the backdrop of the persecutions of Jewish people in Amsterdam during the German occupation. Written and directed by Hagai Levi (“In Treatment,” “The Affair,” “Scenes from a Marriage”), “Etty” stars Julia Windischbauer as the eponymous heroine and Sebastien Koch as therapist Julius Spier, whose patient, lover friend and secretary she later became. Other cast include Leopold Witte, Gijs Naber, Claire Bender, Evgenia Dodina, Chris Peters and Bart Klever.
Etty is a modern, free, and sharply intelligent woman, constantly struggling with her doubts and darkness, but endowed with an extraordinary spiritual strength. Over the course of the series her moving relationship with Julius Spier, living companion Han Wegerif (Leopold Witte) and her group of friends are all impacted as they watch on helplessly as war comes – and then unfolds – in her country. As the German occupation asserts itself, it shapes the characters around Etty and the deportation of Jews in Amsterdam becomes a microcosm for those across Europe.
Filmed in modern-day Amsterdam, the series offers a fascinating dialogue between past and present, revealing how Etty’s struggles and search for meaning resonate today, and evoking the timely question: how do we find hope in a hopeless world?
Rodolphe Buet, CEO of Newen Connect said: “‘Etty’ is more than simply a gripping story about a Jewish woman living during the Second World War. Its themes of love, spirituality and hope for everyday life and the future also has a remarkable resonance for modern audiences. This is what makes it such a remarkable piece of television and one which Newen Connect is extremely proud to have in its catalog.”
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