Coen Verbraak

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.

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.

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

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?

On February 29 – Leap Day – we celebrate Sonja Barend's birthday. She turns eighty then. She made countless programs, and when you watch them back, you can sense the spirit of the times. Sonja was the Netherlands' first true talk show host. She dared to ask anything, was critical, broke taboos, and had an opinion. In the night of Saturday, February 29 to March 1, we pay tribute to her. Dutch presenters will talk for an hour about what Sonja meant to them and to the Dutch television landscape.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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