The façade for an entire block was built on the water in Prague for the Prinsengracht set.
Due to the limited amount of time to use the set, two cameras were used to shoot the beach scene. There was no time limit on the use of the set. The beach was built on a stage with a blue screen for the ocean and sky background. The scene was only a page and 1/2 long. Only one camera was used.
In preparation for one of the dream sequences, Hannah Taylor-Gordon (Anne Frank) took ice skating lessons, though she did have a stunt double for the more challenging skating moves.
Scenes were set up so photographs could be taken on the set, such as the Franks' wedding and Anne at a desk.
Steven Spielberg was to be the executive producer, but declined after receiving a letter from Anne Frank's relatives asking him not be involved with the project because it was not based on the authorized account of Franks' life.
The ABC project was not sanctioned by Bernd Elias, Anne Frank's cousin and chairman of the Anne Frank Fonds (which owns copyright of Anne's Dairy), as a result, the film cannot directly quote "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl".
All four female leads, Anne (Hannah Taylor-Gordon), her sister Margot (Jessica Manley), her mother (Tatjana Blacher) and Auguste Van Pels (Brenda Blethyn) all agreed to lose their hair for the scenes in the concentration camp. It was a requirement of being cast in the role that Hannah and Jessica have their actual hair cut off on camera. It was an act of solidarity with the young girls that Tatjana and Brenda decided to do the same. They came up with the idea the day before the scene was to be filmed. The still photographer did a set of before and after pictures as mementos for the women.