fbpx

‘Game of Thrones’ Star Carice van Houten to Make Holocaust Film on Female Jewish Rescuers

[additional-authors]
September 14, 2019
<> on April 3, 2019 in New York City.

AMSTERDAM (JTA) — Carice van Houten, a Dutch actress known for her portrayal of Melisandre in the hit series “Game of Thrones,” has purchased the film rights to a Holocaust rescue story in Holland.

Van Houten, whose character had a prominent presence in the HBO series until its finale in May, and her business partner, Halina Reijn, bought the rights this month to adapt the book titled “The High Nest,” its author, Roxane van Iperen, wrote Wednesday on Twitter. She added the book “will become a movie.”

The book tells the true story of two Jewish sisters, Janny and Lien Brilleslijper, who during the Holocaust turned their hiding place near Amsterdam into a Dutch resistance center for harboring Jews and others wanted by the Nazis.

It is unclear whether van Houten and Reijn, who are both among the Netherlands’ best-known performers, intend to portray the sisters. Van Houten has appeared in the two previous productions of her firm, Man Up, which she launched recently with Reijn.

“The High Nest” has been on the top slots of the Netherlands’ list of best-selling books since its release last year.

Van Iperen began writing the book after she bought and began renovating, along with her family, the house where the Brilleslijpers hid and helped rescue others. During renovations, Van Iperen discovered secret rooms and hidden doors that the sisters had built.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

A Deafening Silence

A Jewish woman burned to death on American soil. The violence wasn’t random. It was ideological, premeditated, and still, almost no one says her name.

Refreshing Summer Salads

Bright, earthy and deeply refreshing, this salad brings together the forest-like aroma of fresh herbs with a sweet and nutty crunch.

Print Issue: Reclaiming American Values | July 4, 2025

“American values” was once shorthand for the animating ideals of liberal democracy. Now it’s become politicized. As we celebrate July 4th, Jews must lead the way in reclaiming an idea that is meant to unite us, not divide us.

Why Jews Must Reclaim American Values

“American values” was once shorthand for the animating ideals of liberal democracy. Now it’s become politicized. As we celebrate July 4, Jews must lead the way in reclaiming an idea that is meant to unite us, not divide us.

Dawn of a New Era in the Middle East

The ceasefire that President Trump brokered is the second crucial step in that process, not the end of the story but the start of a new chapter.

The Fall of Pride. And the March Into Mayhem

To those raising fists in solidarity with the “Free Palestine” movement in the Western world and chanting “resistance by any means necessary,” we ask: Does your “resistance support” include the execution of queer people?

Why Jews Must Stand Up for America

If America is “irredeemably racist,” then so are the Jews. If America is in trouble, then so are the Jews. If more and more people are becoming anti-American, you can be sure they’re also becoming anti-Jewish.

The Fourth of July and ‘Four Score’

This July Fourth, members of the Jewish faith can take particular pride in one of their rabbis likely inspiring America’s most beloved president’s famous phrase.

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.