Planet Finance sets the world price for many commodities: for grain, for gold and also for oil. There is always demand for oil and the price is constantly changing. It is hard to imagine now, but at the beginning of the COVID pandemic, we could not get rid of oil. The world's oil supply was floating at sea. The tankers, and their crews, had no choice but to wait for a better price. And then came a day when a barrel of oil was free! How can a market be so derailed?

In this six-part documentary series, Marije Meerman takes you to Planet Finance. Who live and work there? What language do they speak? What is the use of this planet, and what makes this financial world so attractive to so many people?

Written & directed by Marije Meerman

Research: Marijntje Denters, Maarten Mosselman, Betsy van Drie, Piet Ruig
Cinematography: Pim Hawinkels, Joost van Herwijnen nsc, Maasja Ooms
Sound: sound Benny Jansen, Tim van Peppen, Rick Meier, Daan Arens, Sander den Broeder, Claas Meier
Editor: Sonja ten Boom nce
Field director: Japan Aya Asakura
Archival research: Barbara Kist, Paula Witkamp
Visual & data design: Femke Herregraven
Motion design: Mark Visser, Jeroen Schellekens
Music: BJ Nilsen
Sound design: Tim van Peppen
Voice-over: Alice O’Connell
Colourist: Rachel Stone
Finishing: Jan Jaap Kuiper
Datahandlng: Watse Eisma
Online editor colour grading: Yannick Elferink
Producer colour grading: Marja Paeper, Remco Smit
Interns: Athena Potamianos, Julia Baud, Margeaux Abeyta, Malou Sandig
Production assistant Pieter Wibaut
Line producer: Olivier Schuringa
Line producer: ZDF/ARTE Katharina Krohmann
Executive producer: Zoë de Wilde, Julia van Schieveen
Coach tot he director: Maaik Krijgsman
Commissioning editor: ZDF/ARTE Türkān Schirmer, Frederic Ulferts
Head editorial department: ZDF/ARTE Martin Pieper
Commissioning editor VPRO: Barbara Truyen

Thanks to Dennis Woodward, Herman Both, Meneer Shah, Lyle & Ed Testerman, Arthur RIchier, Kevin Perkin, Michel Marks, Martt sims, Keith Grissom, Katja Kleffmann, Alex Younevitch, Richard Matthews, Joost & Thijs Timmerman, Joachim Hessler, Hynek Appelt, Tom Runyan, Ayca Rodop, Scott Bauer, Martijn Smith, Fabio Kuhn, Dan Berkovitz, Ruben Heylen, Arjan Nugteren, David Kleijwegt, Daan Wierda, Mariska Schneider, Sharon Yosef, Vian Paashuis, Brigit

Archive: VPRO Tegenlicht, Oklahoma Historical Society, CNN
Witfilm – Na ons de zondvloed, NYPD, Screenocean, AP Archive

Presale: VRT

Planet Finance is produced by VPRO in co-production with ZDF and in collaboration with ARTE
This series was created with the support of NPO-fonds & CoBo
© VPRO & ZDF 2023

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