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Arts & Culture

The Magic Of The Diary Of Anne Frank

Seventy years after her death in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Anne Frank remains an inspiration to millions of people, and her diary is considered one of the most influential books of the 20th century.
Courtesy of American Public Television
Seventy years after her death in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Anne Frank remains an inspiration to millions of people, and her diary is considered one of the most influential books of the 20th century.

Airs Tuesday, July 5, 2016 at 8 p.m. on KPBS TV

After so many years, why is the diary of a young girl still so important?

Seventy years after her death in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, Anne Frank remains an inspiration to millions of people, and her diary is considered one of the most influential books of the 20th century.

Diary Excerpt

“"It’s a wonder I haven’t abandoned all my ideals, they seem so absurd and impractical. Yet I cling to them because I still believe, in spite of everything, that people are truly good at heart. It’s utterly impossible for me to build my life on a foundation of chaos, suffering and death. I see the world being slowly transformed into a wilderness, I hear the approaching thunder that, one day, will destroy us too, I feel the suffering of millions. And yet, when I look up at the sky, I somehow feel that everything will change for the better, that this cruelty too shall end, that peace and tranquility will return once more"

Anne Frank, July 15, 1944

Featuring heartfelt contributions from a number of famous faces and visits to historically significant sites in Germany, Argentina, and the U.S., the documentary “The Magic Of The Diary Of Anne Frank” examines why the words of an innocent young girl continue to resonate with so many nearly a century after they were written.

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The film also visits an Argentinian replica of the Secret Annex that Anne Frank hid in; her memorial site at what was once the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp; and the Anne Frank Center in New York, which was founded by her father, Otto Frank.

Anne Frank Center for Mutual Respect is on Facebook, Instagram, and you can follow @AnneFrankCenter on Twitter.

Produced by All3Media International. Distributed by American Public Television.

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