Ari Folman, the Israeli director behind Waltz With Bashir and The Congress, is set to script and direct a family driven animation film based on Anne Frank’s life and diary.

The film will be produced by Purple Whale Films, a new Belgian outfit, co-owned by Folman’s Israeli production company, Bridgit Folman Film Gang, and Diana Elbaum’s Belgian production company Entre Chien et Loup.

The film rights have been negotiated by Folman and Elbaum. The two met on the production of The Congress, which played at Cannes earlier this year.

It marks the first time a director-producer team has been granted complete access to archives of the Anne Frank Fonds Basel founded by Otto Frank.

The rights are granted for worldwide release on all media and in all languages.

Folman, who won the European Film Award for best animation film with The Congress last weekend, said: “Bringing the Anne Frank Diary to all screens is a fantastic opportunity and challenge as there is a real need for new artistic material to keep the memory alive for younger generations.”

Production is due to start in the winter of 2014.