Coen Verbraak

Fifty years after independence, Coen Verbraak examines the current state of Suriname and its future. With voices from Suriname and the Netherlands on brain drain, identity, fragile democracy, and the lasting impact of slavery. The role of the Netherlands, departure and return, care, and hope are also addressed.

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Can the rule of law collapse? Journalist Coen Verbraak investigates this urgent question and speaks with judges, public prosecutors, lawyers, mayors, journalists, and politicians. They share their stories of intimidation, violence, and growing societal pressure. How strong is our rule of law still, and what is needed to protect it?

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A portrait of Adriaan van Dis by Coen Verbraak, in which they visit people and places that played an important role in Van Dis' life.

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Moluccans in the Netherlands: 70 Years on the Way Home. In 1951, the first Moluccans came to the Netherlands. Through interviews, Coen Verbraak tells the stories of different generations of Moluccans about their involuntary exile.

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In this three-part documentary series, Coen Verbraak looks back on the events of that time with the Dutchbat soldiers involved.

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It remained to be seen whether he was mortal, Harry Mulisch would sometimes say. But on October 30, 2010, he had to surrender to death after all. His study in Amsterdam has remained untouched since that day. It was there that he wrote classics such as 'The Bridal Bed of Stone', 'Two Women', 'The Assault', and 'The Discovery of Heaven'. What kind of person was Harry Mulisch? What was he like as a father and husband? Why did he have so much sympathy for Fidel Castro, and is it true that he loved dachshunds more than people? Ten years after Mulisch's death, director Coen Verbraak goes in search of the person behind the writer.

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Colleagues and friends look back on the life of writer Joost Zwagerman.

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On Monday, May 23, 1977, South Moluccan youths hijacked a passenger train near the village of De Punt. At the same moment, another group held 105 children and 5 teachers from the primary school in Bovensmilde hostage. Images of the children shouting 'Van Agt, we want to live' went around the world. After a few days, the Moluccans released the children, but the teachers had to stay behind. What followed was a nail-biting game of cat and mouse that would last for more than two weeks.

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He won the Louis d'Or, the most important theatre award in the Netherlands, twice. He played unforgettable roles in films such as Cloaca, De Belager, and Leedvermaak, and starred in TV series De Uitverkorene, 't Schaep met de 5 Pooten, and De Prooi. Pierre Bokma celebrates his sixtieth birthday on December 20, 2015. Reason enough for a personal portrait of this versatile man.

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A documentary about the life and suicide of Antonie Kamerling (1966-2010).

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A film about the deep traces the war sometimes leaves behind in the soul.

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Martin Bril (1959–2009) was for many years one of the most successful columnists in the Netherlands. In 1996, he began writing pieces for Het Parool about the trial of De Hakkelaar. These were no ordinary court reports: Bril described the crease in De Hakkelaar's trousers and the signet ring on his finger. These pieces grew into a regular column, in which he reported on the world around him in a completely unique way. Director Coen Verbraak portrays the columnist five years after his passing.

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For thirty years she was the undisputed queen of the Dutch talk show: Sonja Barend. With Coen Verbraak, she takes one last look back: at her motivations, the history of her family, and her father.

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They worked together for nearly forty years, and during that period, Kees van Kooten and Wim de Bie produced hundreds of hours of television. Initially with 'Hadimassa' and 'Het Gat van Nederland', and later with the 'Simplisties Verbond'. For years, they were the standard for humor and satire on television. They enriched the language with dozens of self-invented words – from *doemdenken* (doom thinking) to *regelneef* (control freak). They received the Silver Nipkow Disc twice. In 1985, they were awarded the Honorary Nipkow Disc for their entire television oeuvre. This documentary offers a unique glimpse into a wealth of archival material and visits and interviews Van Kooten and De Bie themselves.

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Spring 2012: the SP is doing better than ever in the polls. The party stands at well over thirty seats. With that, Emile Roemer could very well become the new Prime Minister of the Netherlands. Director Coen Verbraak approaches the SP leader with the proposal to follow him as he prepares for the elections, which are likely to come in a year or two. Roemer says ‘yes’. For these could be historic times, both for his party and for the Netherlands. Two days after that meeting, the first Rutte cabinet falls, and everything accelerates rapidly. This documentary meticulously shows what happens from that moment on.

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In the 1960s, a large group of young boys was sexually abused at the Catholic boarding school Don Rua in 's-Heerenberg, Gelderland. This extensive abuse case led to the establishment of the Deetman Commission, which investigated sexual abuse within the Catholic Church. In this documentary, five of the abused men speak candidly about the events of their youth and the devastating influence and consequences thereof on their adult lives.

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For nearly twenty years, she was the chief editor of the now-legendary VARA programs with Sonja Barend. In addition, she was instrumental in the creation of the still-successful general knowledge quizzes Per seconde wijzer and Twee voor twaalf. She has never had any trouble with a place in the background: program maker, director, and chief editor Ellen Blazer. Coen Verbraak spoke with Ellen and with various colleagues about her important role in Dutch television history.

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Documentary by Coen Verbraak about Boudewijn Büch, writer, poet, and television presenter, who died on November 23, 2002. This portrait centers on the way Büch mystified his own life.

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Documentary by Coen Verbraak about entertainer, poet, and painter Toon Hermans.

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Fifty years after independence, Coen Verbraak examines the current state of Suriname and its future. With voices from Suriname and the Netherlands on brain drain, identity, fragile democracy, and the lasting impact of slavery. The role of the Netherlands, departure and return, care, and hope are also addressed.

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Can the rule of law collapse? Journalist Coen Verbraak investigates this urgent question and speaks with judges, public prosecutors, lawyers, mayors, journalists, and politicians. They share their stories of intimidation, violence, and growing societal pressure. How strong is our rule of law still, and what is needed to protect it?

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For centuries, they have been stared at by millions of eyes: the painted figures in Rembrandt van Rijn's Night Watch. What do they actually think? How did they feel about posing for the painter? And are they satisfied with the canvas?

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Following the Van Rijn Commission's investigation, Coen Verbraak speaks with editors and presenters about the work culture at the public broadcaster.

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In the documentary series 'The Promised Land', journalist and historian Coen Verbraak speaks with Dutch Jews living in The Netherlands or in Israel.

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It is the city hospital of Amsterdam, where all the cultures of the big city meet: the OLVG. Every year, more than 500,000 patients are treated here, spread across two locations. The OLVG's emergency department is one of the largest in the Netherlands. As is the maternity ward, where 5,000 babies are born every year. For two years, documentary filmmaker Coen Verbraak and his team filmed in this hospital, before and during the pandemic, following in the footsteps of doctors, nurses, and other staff members.

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Following the Van Rijn Commission's investigation, Coen Verbraak speaks with editors and presenters about the work culture at the public broadcaster.

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In the documentary series 'The Promised Land', journalist and historian Coen Verbraak speaks with Dutch Jews living in The Netherlands or in Israel.

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It is the city hospital of Amsterdam, where all the cultures of the big city meet: the OLVG. Every year, more than 500,000 patients are treated here, spread across two locations. The OLVG's emergency department is one of the largest in the Netherlands. As is the maternity ward, where 5,000 babies are born every year. For two years, documentary filmmaker Coen Verbraak and his team filmed in this hospital, before and during the pandemic, following in the footsteps of doctors, nurses, and other staff members.

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In 'Our boys on Java', the four-part series that journalist and historian Coen Verbraak made for BNNVARA, fourteen of them still tell their stories. Including Joop Hueting, who in 1969 was the first to report war crimes committed by the Dutch. It was the last interview with Hueting; he passed away in November 2018.

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Coen Verbraak talks to his guests about life themes that we all experience.

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