Machiel Amorison

100 years ago Mata Hari faced the firing squad as a convicted Dutch spy. It was at this moment that the legend of Mata Hari, the seductive spy, was born. 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 challenges as an abused wife, single mother and a creative independent woman are familiar to women around the world. At the turn of the century, her struggles to attain sexual freedom, artistic expression, and liberation from the constraints of conventional society are the same ones women face today. She graced the cover of Vogue, performed all over Europe and left a coterie of smitten admirers in her wake.

Learning to Be Naked reveals the healing, transformative power of burlesque. It’s hard to imagine a more vulnerable experience than getting naked on stage–and for some it is precisely this experience that profoundly changes their lives. Dispelling stereotypes about what kinds of bodies deserve to be seen and celebrated, the film follows several extraordinary and unconventional performers as burlesque strips away their shame, gently peels off their insecurities and slowly undresses their pain.

An exciting video tour of Amsterdam.