The Red Head Movie: The True Story of Hannie Schaft, Hitler's Most Wanted Resistance Heroine
The Red Head Movie: The True Story of Hannie Schaft, the Woman Who Defied the Nazis
There are moments in history when one ordinary person rises and becomes an unstoppable force against evil. Hannie Schaft was one of those people. This is the true story of Hannie Schaft, one of the most famous female resistance fighters of World War II.
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| THE RED HEAD movie is a film of courage, strength and the price of freedom during World War II. |
THE RED HEAD tells the story of Hannie Schaft, historically known as “the girl with the red hair,” through a bold and uncompromising cinematic lens.
Be a part of history. Help bring Hannie Schaft’s story to the world.
Join the official THE RED HEAD Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/15051770/join
Watch the Hannie Schaft Concept Trailer
Hannie Schaft was not a trained soldier.
She was not born into power.
She was not seeking fame.
She was a teenage university student when Adolf Hitler invaded the Netherlands on May 10, 1940.
And she chose resistance.
This is the true World War II story of the young woman who saved lives, outwitted the Nazi regime, and became the only woman ever placed on Hitler’s Most Wanted List.
She is remembered today as “the girl with the red hair.”
And she is the woman whose story we are bringing to the screen in the live-action war action-thriller THE RED HEAD.
From University Student to Enemy of the Reich
Hannie Schaft was an ordinary Dutch teenager attending university when the Nazis occupied her country.
Almost instantly, her world changed.
Her two closest friends, Sonja Frenk and Philine Polak, were expelled from school, stripped of their rights, and marked for death because they were Jewish.
When the Nazis declared:
“Jews are not Dutch.”
Hannie made a declaration of her own:
“If they are not Dutch, then neither am I.”
As the Nazis destroyed decency around her, Hannie chose to protect it.
With no military training and no protection, she began stealing identification cards, forging documents, creating false identities, and helping Jewish friends escape Nazi persecution.
Her friend Philine Polak survived the Holocaust and credited Hannie with saving her life.
Philine’s testimony remains one of the most powerful survivor records of WWII.
View her Oral History Interview at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum:
https://collections.ushmm.org/search/catalog/irn512184
Hannie’s friend Sonja Frenk was not as fortunate.
Unable to sustain life in hiding, Sonja attempted to escape through an organization helping people flee the country. She was betrayed, captured by the Nazis, and murdered at Auschwitz on November 23, 1943.
That betrayal changed Hannie forever.
The Birth of a Resistance Legend
As Nazi genocide spread across Europe, Hannie did not retreat into fear.
She advanced into war.
She joined the Dutch Resistance and became one of its most daring and effective operatives.
Her missions included:
- Smuggling Jewish adults and children to safety
- Forging documents and identities
- Sabotaging Nazi operations
- Gathering intelligence
- Targeting Nazi collaborators responsible for persecution and murder
As the war continued, Hannie used her intelligence, courage, and ability to move unnoticed through enemy territory.
She became one of the most notorious resistance operatives in the Netherlands.
She gathered classified intelligence.
She mapped German V2 rocket launch sites.
She smuggled information to Allied forces.
The intelligence she helped obtain contributed to the Allied fight against Hitler’s final weapons program.
Hannie became an invisible force inside the Reich.
The Nazis could not catch her.
They could not identify her.
They could not stop her.
Wherever Hannie struck, people whispered:
“Hitler will lose.”
She became a symbol of hope during one of humanity’s darkest moments.
Hitler’s Humiliation — The Girl He Could Not Catch
Hannie Schaft did something few people could do:
She embarrassed Adolf Hitler.
Her resistance activities were so effective that she became one of the most wanted figures in Nazi-occupied Holland.
Known as “The Red Head,” she became a symbol of defiance.
To avoid capture, Hannie dyed her hair dark and wore glasses to disappear among crowds.
But her legend had already spread.
She represented courage.
She represented resistance.
She represented hope.
Captured, Tortured — And She Never Spoke
In the final months of World War II, Hannie was captured at a checkpoint carrying:
- An illegal resistance newspaper
- A pistol hidden in her handbag
She was imprisoned.
For weeks, she endured brutal torture and interrogation.
The Nazis attempted to break her.
They arrested her parents and threatened others in an effort to force her to reveal information.
She remained silent.
Even when prisoners were executed in front of her and she was threatened with further deaths unless she confessed, Hannie refused to betray the resistance.
Her only statement was:
“I am part of the resistance.”
She never gave a single name.
Her Final Defiance
On April 17, 1945, only weeks before the liberation of the Netherlands, Hannie Schaft was taken to the sand dunes of Overveen to be executed.
She did not go quietly.
When the first shots failed to kill her immediately, she turned toward her executioners and said:
“You idiots. I shoot better than you.”
She was then killed.
She was 24 years old.
The Face of the Dutch Resistance
Jannetje Johanna “Hannie” Schaft (September 16, 1920 – April 17, 1945) is remembered as:
- The face of the Dutch Resistance
- A symbol of youthful courage
- A martyr of anti-fascism
- A heroine whose actions saved lives
- A reminder that one person can change history
She is not just a WWII figure.
She is a warning.
And she is a call to courage.
Why We Are Telling Her Story Now
THE RED HEAD is not just a movie.
It is a declaration that:
Truth matters.
Courage matters.
Freedom is fragile.
Silence empowers tyranny.
One person can still make a difference.
Film is one of the most powerful storytelling forces on Earth.
It reaches hearts.
It preserves memory.
It introduces history to generations who may never open a textbook.
This is why THE RED HEAD must be made now.
Watch the Concept Trailer
View the official concept trailer here:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/help-make-red-143452256
This film will be 100% live-action.
No AI characters.
No shortcuts.
No historical compromise.
How You Can Become Part of History
If Hannie’s story moved you, you are already part of this mission.
By joining our Patreon, you can:
✅ Become part of the filmmaking journey
✅ Receive your name in the film credits
✅ Receive a digital copy of the completed movie
✅ Help bring this true story to audiences worldwide
Support levels:
$5 (or any amount you choose)
One month of membership is enough to receive rewards — and you may switch to Free afterward while staying connected with the journey.
Join here:
https://www.patreon.com/15051770/join
For Those Who Want to Go Further
If you feel called to support this film on a deeper level as a full investor, we would love to speak with you.
Email:
susan_goforth@pendragonpictures.com
The Question Hannie Leaves Us With
When evil rose, she rose higher.
When fear spread, she moved forward.
When silence could save her, she chose truth.
The question left to us is:
What will we do with her example?
HELP BRING THE RED HEAD TO LIFE
BECOME PART OF THE LEGACY
THE RED HEAD © 2025 Pendragon Pictures
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