See How Miep Gies Hid Anne Frank’s Family in ‘A Small Light’ Trailer (VIDEO)
The story of the woman who hid Anne Frank’s family is told in Nat Geo‘s A Small Light. In the trailer for the series, premiering Monday, May 1, Bel Powley‘s Miep Gies is already rebelling against the Nazis when Liev Schreiber‘s Otto Frank asks for safe harbor.
Based on an inspiring true story, Miep Gies was young, carefree, and opinionated — at a time when opinions got you killed ― when Otto Frank asked her to help hide his family from the Nazis during Word War II. She agreed without hesitation. 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 annex.
Viewers have seen stories of the three families’ time in the annex told on screen before, but this is the first time they’ll see the lengths their protectors went to to keep them hidden.
As Nat Geo describes, A Small Light is “told with a modern sensibility” and “shakes the cobwebs off 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, asking if they would have the courage to stand up to hatred. Some stood by; Miep stood up.” See Miep’s bravery on display in the Small Light trailer above.
Additional cast includes Amira Casar as Edith Frank; newcomer Billie Boullet as Anne Frank; Ashley Brooke as Anne’s older sister, Margot Frank; Andy Nyman as Hermann van Pels; Caroline Catz as Auguste van Pels, Rudi Goodman as Peter van Pels, and Noah Taylor as Dr. Fritz Pfeffer, who all hid in the annex with the Frank family; Eleanor Tomlinson as Tess, Miep’s best friend; Sally Messham as Bep Voskuijl, Ian McElhinney as Johannes Kleiman and Nicholas Burns as Victor Kugler, Miep’s co-workers; and Liza Sadovy as Mrs. Stoppelman, Laurie Kynaston as Casmir, and Sebastian Armesto as Max Stoppelman.
A Small Light is an eight-part mini series produced by ABC Signature and Keshet Studios. It will have a multi-network 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.
“When we first heard the remarkable story of Miep Gies we were gripped and deeply moved. We were also convinced that this limited series about an everyday superhero — one that most people around the world have never heard of — needed an unprecedented rollout,” Carolyn Bernstein, EVP, Scripted and Documentary Films, National Geographic, said in a statement. “We are determined to bring A Small Light to the largest global audience possible and hope this ambitious rollout across multiple networks and streaming platforms allows audiences to fall in love with and be inspired by Miep just as we have.”
Executive producers and writers Joan Rater and Tony Phelan serve as showrunners, DGA Award-winner and Emmy-nominated executive producer Susanna Fogel directs multiple episodes, including the pilot, and William Harper executive produces. Peter Traugott and Lisa Roos executive produce for Keshet Studios, Alon Shtruzman for Keshet International, and Avi Nir for Keshet Media Group.
A Small Light, multi-network Series Premiere, Monday, May 1, 9/8c, National Geographic, Nat Geo WILD, and Lifetime, Next-Day Streaming, Disney+ and Hulu
A Small Light, Series Premiere Encore, Saturday, May 6, 8/7c, Freeform
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