For more than 10 years, Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary has grown alongside the evolution of virtual reality. Along the way, we’ve developed multiple prototypes, presented the project to museums and key partners, navigated the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, and continually refined the experience. Now that VR technology has matured to support the experience we envisioned – and museums increasingly embrace immersive experiences – the time is right to bring this project to audiences.
Project Timeline
2016
Introducing The Vision
In May 2016, Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary was publicly announced, introducing a new vision for preserving Anne Frank’s story through virtual reality. The announcement received international attention, with coverage from more than 50 news outlets, including The Hollywood Reporter, The Guardian, The Jerusalem Post, Haaretz, CNET, The Times of Israel, Geektime, Entertainment Weekly, Smithsonian Magazine, TMZ, and more.
Production soon began, including a volumetric capture session with 8i in June, laying the foundation for the project’s earliest prototype.
ABOVE: 8i Volumetric Capture Session – June 2016
2017
Sharing the First Prototype
In June 2017, the project’s original three-minute prototype was presented at the Association of Holocaust Organizations (AHO) Conference in Seattle. The demonstration marked the first opportunity to share the experience with Holocaust educators and museum professionals, providing valuable feedback that would help shape its future development.
ABOVE: Association of Holocaust Organizations Demo – June 2017
2018
Growing Support and Feedback
The original three-minute prototype continued to open doors with key institutional partners. In April 2018, the experience was presented at the Consulate General of the Netherlands in San Francisco, CA for local educators, followed by a visit to the Anne Frank Fonds in Switzerland that June, strengthening relationships that continue to support the project today.
ABOVE: Dutch Consulate Demo – April 2018
2019
From Prototype to Museum Experience
In 2019, encouraged by the response to the project’s early demonstrations, we began expanding the original three-minute prototype into a more substantial museum experience. Rather than focusing solely on the Secret Annex, development broadened to include additional spaces within the Annex building and its surrounding environment, growing the experience to more than three times its original length.
ABOVE: In-Progress Render of Annex Exterior – 2020
2023
Preparing for the Next Chapter
Coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic, as museums and the VR industry began to regain momentum, work resumed on the project, creating an expanded 10-minute interior/exterior demonstration—more than three times the length of the original prototype. Presented to the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in October 2023, it marked an important milestone toward the experience now in development.
ABOVE: Dutch Consulate Demo – October 2023
2025
Renewed Development
In 2025, advances in immersive technology and the rapid growth of location-based VR marked a turning point for the project. With museums increasingly embracing immersive experiences, we expanded the experience beyond the Annex and its surrounding environment to include additional historical locations, accelerating development toward a 25-minute seated location-based VR experience designed specifically for museums and cultural institutions.
Also during this period, Jewish Creativity International (JCI) became the project’s fiscal sponsor, helping establish the nonprofit partnership needed to support production, fundraising, and future museum presentations.
ABOVE: In-Engine Render from Piece – July 2026
2027
Bringing the Project to the Public
From its first three-minute prototype to a fully realized museum experience, Anne Frank: Beyond the Diary has evolved alongside advances in immersive technology and years of historical research. As the project prepares to welcome its first public audiences in 2027, it fulfills the vision first introduced in 2016: preserving Anne Frank’s story through immersive, historically grounded storytelling.
