Documentary sheds new light on Mata Hari

Trailer Mata Hari: The Naked Spy

Who was the real Mata Hari? Is the central question in the new documentary Mata Hari: the Naked Spy. 100 years ago Mata Hari faced the firing squad as a convicted German spy. It was at precisely this moment the legend of Mata Hari, the seductive spy, was born. To understand the many aspects of Mata Hari’s life, the filmmakers spoke with a variety of experts including Dr Marijke Huisman (Cultural History). Huisman is the author of a biography on Mata Hari titled Mata Hari: de levende legende (Uitgeverij Verloren, 1998).

Newly discovered documents cast doubt on her guilt and reveal startling truths about her life. Mata Hari was a self-made woman whose boldness and sexuality threatened the male establishment. Most of what we’ve known about her until now has largely been myth.

Mata Hari’s lasting legacy is the idea that you are not bound by the life you are born into, you can choose your own biography, you can chase after your dreams, you can become whatever you want. She is the ultimate self-made woman

The film, an international co-production between Susan Wolf in California and Machiel Amorison in Amsterdam, was primarily shot in the Netherlands where Mata Hari was born and lived much of her life. The film premiered last week at the film festival of Santa Fe.