(1958) dares to risk his neck as a Russian film maker with critical documentaries and films on tricky political issues in his native country. His documentary Russian Lessons on the one-sided news coverage of the Russo-Georgian war in 2008 earned him the title Man of the Year 2009 in Georgia. Owing to the sharp criticism expressed on the Russian government and the army the film could only be shown in Russia to friends from the opposition. His film Rebellion, the Litvinenko Case from 2007 is a indictment against the Russian state security service FSB, who have been behind various bomb attacks and hijackings, allegedly carried out in order to keep Putin in the saddle. Nekrasov did various film and cultural studies in Russia, Paris and Bristol. In 1985 he was Andrej Tarkovsky’s right hand man in the shooting and editing of Sacrifice (Offret). Subsequently he made a number of documentaries and tv programmes. His first short from 1993, Springing Lenin, won the UNESCO prize in Cannes. The long feature following it, Love is as Strong as Death, won prizes too. Nekrasov is also a playwright and works as a stage director.

(Amsterdam, 1971) travelled to Egypt at age 24 to do research among Egyptian contemporaries. That not only earned him a degree in religious anthropology, but also his debut, Een goede man slaat soms zijn vrouw (A Good Man Sometimes Hits his Wife). It was an instant success and Volkskrant and Radio 1 Journaal asked him to become a correspondent in the Arab World. Later he also worked for NRC Handelsblad and NOS. During his stay he wrote Een tipje van de sluier (A Corner of the Veil) and after his return to the Netherlands in 2003 Het zijn net mensen (People Like Us), on his experiences as a correspondent. Meanwhile Luyendijk has shifted his attention elsewhere: Dutch politics and sustainability. His latest book, Je hebt het niet van mij, maar…Een maand aan het Binnenhof (Don’t mention my name, but… A Month in Parliament), caused a great deal of controversy in Dutch journalist circles. Joris Luyendijk took a closer look at the bell-jar world of Dutch politics. With some amazement he describes how close the link between journalists, lobbyists, public relations officials and politicians is. In 2006 and 2007 Luyendijk hosted the tv interview programme Zomergasten (Summer Guests) and in 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 Wintergasten (Winter Guests). Since March 2010 he is one of the regular hosts of the late night radio current affairs programme Met het oog op morgen (With a View to Tomorrow).

(Belgium, 1971) is an author, historian and archaeologist, known for his multifaceted contributions to literature and intellectual discourse. He is currently Philosopher Laureate of the Low Countries. Upon his appointment, he published De wereld en de aarde (The World and the Earth, 2025), in which he makes a groundbreaking proposal to radically broaden our thinking—and our politics. For the greatest security issue of our time is not the world with its mutual conflicts, but the earth, which is becoming increasingly disrupted. His oeuvre covers a range of genres, including historical non-fiction, poetry, and theater. Among his best-known works are Congo (2010), about the country's bewildering history, and Revolusi (2020), which places Indonesia's struggle for independence in a global perspective through eyewitness accounts. In addition to his literary work, Van Reybrouck is known as ‘one of Europe's leading intellectuals’ (Tagesspiegel), whose ideas relate to themes such as democracy, climate, and colonialism. He regularly publishes opinion pieces in international publications. 

Go to the website of David Van Reybrouck
Instagram: @david.vanreybrouck

(Amsterdam, 1963) has been editor-in-chief of the weekly De Groene Amsterdammer since 1 June 2008. Earlier she worked there as a literary editor. From 2000-2004 she headed the board of editors of the weekly Vrij Nederland and was a publisher with Meulenhoff publishers. She contributed regularly to the magazine Opinio and the daily newspaper Trouw. Xandra Schutte did communication studies and Dutch language and literature in Amsterdam. In 1999 she published Maskerade (Masquerade), a collection of eleven essays on the fading borders of the male and the female in culture and society. In 2008 Weg uit Nederland (Getting out of the Netherlands) appeared, a correspondence with Sarah Verroen on life in the French countryside. For some years Schutte was on the panel of the tv programme Zeeman met boeken and OBA live.

(Beemster, 1964) as a child listened spellbound to the stories of adults about World War II. It didn’t come as a surprise that he decided to become a war correspondent after his journalism study. Since then he has visited some thirty places of conflict. Karskens never goes as an ‘embedded’ journalist but insists on his independence. That’s why he received the honorary prize “Journalist for Peace” of the Humanistisch Vredesberaad (Humanist Peace Council). The jury praised him for being ‘one of the few’ in the news coverage on Iraq and Afghanistan who declines to see everything through western eyes but shows how the actions of the west form the breeding ground for embitterment in the Islamic world against the West. In addition he was recipient in 2008 of the Clara Meijer-Wichmann medal of the League for Human Rights and J’Accuse. Karskens wrote several books, Reizen langs de frontlijn (travelling along the frontline), “A handbook for journalists, relief workers and adventurers”. In his latest book Rebellen met een reden (Rebels with a cause) he probes what it is that people inspires in choosing the life of a rebel – from deserter Poncke Princen to FARC-rebel Tanja Nijmeijer. Karskens worked as a freelancer for fifteen years, worked part-time for Nieuwe Revu and now works with daily newspaper De Pers.

(Arnhem, 1954) has been the Dutch ambassador for Human Rights since 2010. He studied philosophy at the University of Amsterdam and worked as an assistant research fellow in the deparmtent of cultural philosophy and aesthetics. He has been working for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs since 1984. Veer has worked in the policy fields of European affairs, asylum and migration and international cultural policy. In recent years he has been ambassador in Zagreb and consul general in München. The job of human rights ambassador is intended to provide the theme of human rights in international relations with a recognisable, visible and idiosyncratic profile. The human rights ambassador is dedicated to making Dutch human rights policy more coherent.

(1965) is manager campaigns of Oxfam Novib in The Hague. From 1993 to 2009 he was political coördinator of the Groen Links party in the Dutch House of Commons. He studied political science, and specialized in international relations.