The Girl With the Red Hair: Why Hannie Schaft’s True Story Must Be Told Now

 The Red Head is a film production committed to telling Hannie Schaft’s WWII story truthfully without compromise.

Hannie Schaft, born Jannetje Johanna (Jo) Schaft, was an ordinary teenager in university when Hitler invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940. Overnight, her two best friends, Sonja Frenk and Philine Polak, were expelled and stripped of their rights for being Jewish.

Hannie stole IDs and had them forged so Sonja and Philine could survive with new papers, and when the Nazis declared Jews were “not Dutch,” Hannie answered, “If they are not Dutch then neither am I.”

As decency collapsed around her, Hannie refused to let it die. She hid her Jewish friends and joined the resistance. Philine Polak survived and credited Hannie with saving her life (Philine’s story: https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn512184).

Sonja Frenk could not endure life in hiding. She contacted an escape network in hopes of buying her way out, was betrayed, deported, and died at Auschwitz on November 23, 1943.

As the genocide intensified, Hannie took on increasingly daring missions; smuggling adults and children to safety, sabotaging Nazi infrastructure, and, when necessary, eliminating Nazis and collaborators responsible for persecution and murder. She used intellect and charm to move inside the Reich’s sphere, mapping V2 rocket launch sites and getting that intelligence to Allied forces—an enormous contribution to defeating Hitler.

Hannie became a symbol of hope: an invisible force the Reich couldn’t identify or catch. Her work spread a contagious belief across the Netherlands and beyond—Hitler will lose. The Nazis feared her. Hitler hated her, and he was humiliated by her. She landed on Hitler’s Most Wanted list as the “the red head,” the only woman ever on that notorious list. She dyed her hair dark and wore glasses to disappear.

In the final months of the war, Hannie was stopped at a routine checkpoint with an illegal newspaper and a pistol in her handbag. She was imprisoned, starved, raped, tortured, and interrogated for names and resistance information. She stayed silent. Only when her natural red hair began to grow back did the Nazis suspect who she was. They washed out the dye and demanded confessions. She still refused.

Under relentless pressure—and even with her parents arrested and sent to a concentration camp as leverage—Hannie did not betray names, locations, or plans. After four weeks, she hadn’t even revealed her own name. The Nazis then executed 15 prisoners in front of her, threatening more deaths unless she confessed. To stop the killings, her only admission was: “I am part of the resistance.”

Hitler personally ordered her death. Hannie was taken to the sand dunes of Overveen to be executed. She didn’t go quietly. The first bullets hit and she didn’t fall. She turned to her executioners and said, “You idiots, I shoot better than you.” Hannie Schaft was murdered on April 17, 1945.

To this day, Hannie is the face of the Dutch Resistance—youthful defiance, courage, and sacrifice against Nazi occupation. This is the true story we’re telling with the action thriller The Red Head.

Film is the most powerful entertainment medium on Earth—able to reach the most people, fastest. That’s why we’re telling Hannie’s story now: to inspire courage, remind us how fragile freedom is, and show what one person’s resolve can change.

This film will be completely live-action. No AI characters will be used.

If the story speaks to you, join the film's Patreon for just one month as a subscriber tier of $5, $25, or $100 (or any amount you choose) and receive the rewards for that tier, including your name in the film’s credits and a digital copy of the completed film. You may switch your subscription to Free after the first month and keep the rewards from the tier you joined, while staying part of the journey.

You can also support the film by becoming a free subscriber, encouraging friends, family, and followers to contribute to The Red Head Patreon and show the world this story matters.

If you’d like to be involved at a greater level as an investor, please reach out.

Sincerely,
Susan Goforth
susan_goforth@pendragonpictures.com

https://www.patreon.com/cw/The_Red_Head_Movie_WWII_Heroine_Hannie_Schaft