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Backlight

VPRO Backlight is a biweekly documentary series. Each episode focusses on remarkable shifts in society, (geo)politics, economy, technology or culture, and their long-term consequences. In an attempt to provide radical hope for the future, we seek out leading thinkers, innovators and citizens who bring to light new ideas and ways of acting in a ceaselessly changing world.

episodes

Hungary and the open society
VPRO Backlight | video | 45 minuten | 8 apr. 2018
No immigrants, restricting the media and declaring that a university is an enemy of the state: this is the Hungary under Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. In Budapest there is a university, founded and financed by billionaire George Soros, to propagate the values of an ‘open society’. But it is precisely those propagated West-European values such as separation of power, free media and the freedom ...
Our Common Good
VPRO Backlight | video | 45 minuten | 1 apr. 2018
What role can citizen collectives play in solving the problems of our time? This question arises now that the government is withdrawing and the private sector is only partially taking over these tasks. In this Backlight episode, find out how civilian collectives jump into this gap and take responsibility for disability, elderly care and alternative energy supply.
Coding life
VPRO Backlight | video | 46 minuten | 25 mrt. 2018
‘Bio is the New Digital’. We are capable of precisely reprogramming the genetic code of our body’s cells, embryos, bacteria, viruses and plants. With the CRISPR-technology we can alter the characteristics of every organism to our own design. In doing so we will be able to eradicate diseases, improve the condition of our bodies and alter plants to meet the specific needs of our food ...
The immortals
VPRO Backlight | video | 50 minuten | 4 mrt. 2018
Is eternal life something reserved only for the wealthiest inhabitants of the planet? Silicon Valley has become obsessed with eternal life. Billions are being invested in the hacking of our biology. The mindset is that when aging becomes a disease, then we can also develop a drug to fight death itself. The science in the area of life extension is a booming business. But the question remains ...
Anger as a weapon according to Pankaj Mishra
VPRO Backlight | video | 45 minuten | 17 dec. 2017
Anger. A word often heard in the 21st century. The anger of a lone wolf and the anger of nationalists. Anger, fed by Trump, the Brexit, IS, Catalonian separatists and even the Hindu supremacy in India. Pankaj Mishra is attempting to explain this phenomenon. Where does this anger come from and how can this ever lead to something good? The Indian writer Pankaj Mishra, born and raised in India ...
Calm before the cra$h
VPRO Backlight | video | 44 minuten | 16 sep. 2017
Ten years ago, we were taken by surprise when Lehman Brothers' merchant bank went bankrupt. The financial crisis that followed was like a chain reaction; a pole dancer with her five mortgages turned out to be connected to the huge gap in the Greek national budget. Is it possible to predict the next crisis? What are the lessons learnt from the last one? Sometimes, it is important to look back ...
Return to the satellite queens
VPRO Backlight | video | 47 minuten | 17 mrt. 2017
Every Sunday night millions of Arabic men and women watch the provocative talk show Kalam Nawaem – literally meaning ‘women’s’ talk’. For the past fifteen years the show has been one of the most-watched programs in the Arab world. The popular presenters have found a place in countless hearts and living rooms. In 2007 VPRO Backlight made a broadcast about this unique show. Ten years later ...
Superfortress Europe
VPRO Backlight | video | 47 minuten | 22 feb. 2017
The budget Brussels makes available for European border protection has increased by billions in the past few years. The reason: terrorism and the growing numbers of refugees. New surveillance technology is a growth market that is literally gaining ground because of all the deals Brussels is making with so-called third countries: After the Turkey Deal, agreements are now also being made with ...
The true cost of flying
VPRO Backlight | video | 47 minuten | 4 aug. 2016
We are flying far more often these days. A quick few days to the sun. A weekend to New York. A meeting in London. The airplane is nice a fast and is getting increasingly cheaper. That’s great, isn’t it? Not really. Flying has become so cheap due to a fierce price war and years of government subsidies. As a result in the drop of prices passenger numbers have increased dramatically. Due to this ...