Because one of history’s greatest tragedies somehow continually needs proof of existence, Deborah E. Lipstadt went through an absurd legal ordeal that she recounted in the book History On Trial: My Day In Court With A Holocaust Denier. As the title suggests, Lipstadt was taken to court by David Irving, a man who accused her of libel when she labeled him a Holocaust denier. As the English legal system requires the accused to assume the burden of proof, Lipstadt and her lawyers essentially had to prove the mass murder of European Jews and other unwanted minorities by the Nazi regime during World War II. Irving allegedly manipulated data to warp history, which made the fight all the more difficult.
Now Lipstadt’s book is being adapted into a film by The Reader and The Hours screenwriter David Hare. Denial will feature Hilary Swank as Lipstadt and have Tom Wilkinson likely stepping into the role of Irving, with The Bodyguard and Temple Grandin director Mick Jackson on board to direct. Gary Foster and Russ Krasnoff will produce under their self-named banner alongside Shoebox Films, and will be seeking funding for the film at Cannes next month.