Business Doc Europe bumped into VPRO’s Barbara Truyen at Netflix’s weekend drinks event at Amsterdam’s Soho House, where she commented on her new role at the Dutch broadcaster.
After heading up VPRO’s documentary department for 15 years she is handing over the reigns to successor Thomas Vroege in order to concentrate on strategic co-productions for both Dutch documentaries and series that have international potential and international projects which are relevant to our audience.
“My new role is not only working on the great films but also trying to come up with new ways of co-producing,” she told BDE. “How can we as public broadcasters work smarter together within the EBU, with the ‘big 5 initiative’ or with streamers and private equity?”
The VPRO co-produces about 25 documentaries a year, approximately two thirds of which are made by Dutch filmmakers, the others by international filmmakers.
Truyen points out in her IDFA profile how, “it is VPRO’s mission to create a healthy industry based on reciprocal coalitions with our creative and financial partners. We like good storytelling! Character-led films, with a clear dramatic development and narrative urgency. Or ideas driven films that push our boundaries in subject, tone, form and authorship. The films need to have the quality of cinema with the rhythm of television.”
VPRO films have won numerous prizes in past years, such as Prix Italia, Prix Europe, Emmys, Peabodys, Griersons and Academy Awards (notably the 3 times nominated Flee by Jonas Poher Rasmussen).
At IDFA 2022, VPRO supported the opening film All You See (Luminous) as well as Nirit Peled’s Mothers in Frontlight. The broadcaster also supported the current Academy Award contender Three Minutes A Lengthening (Bianca Stigter), and previous international and Dutch hits such as the above-mentioned Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen), The White Cube (Renzo Martens), The Queen of Versailles (Lauren Greenfield), Armadillo (Janus Metz), Kings of Pastry (Chris Hegedus/D.A. Pennebaker) and The Cleaners (Hans Block).
“It is great that VPRO gives me the opportunity to pioneer as a public broadcaster in this everchanging doc world,” Truyen signed off to BDE.
