''30 minuten'' (''30 minutes'') was a 1995

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

satirical Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming or e ...

mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...

TV series, written by

Arjan Ederveen Arjan Ederveen Janssen (born 9 September 1956) is a Dutch actor, comedian, TV scriptwriter and TV director. He participated in the TV series '' Theo en Thea'', '' Kreatief met Kurk'' and '' 30 minuten'' and played in the musicals ''Hairspray'' a ...

and directed by Pieter Kramer. Ederveen also starred in every episode. Two series of seven episodes were produced and broadcast by the Dutch TV station

VPRO The VPRO (stylized vpro; originally an acronym for , ) is a Dutch public broadcaster, which forms a part of the Dutch public broadcasting system. Founded in 1926 as a liberal Protestant broadcasting organization, it gradually became more soc ...

between 1995 and 1997. ''30 minuten'' was praised by many TV critics and received several awards. It was also a major influence on the Flemish mockumentary series ''

In de gloria ''In de Gloria'' ("In the Glory") was a 2000–01 Flemish TV sketch comedy show, directed by Jan Eelen and produced by the company ''Woestijnvis''. It was a mockumentary series which satirized reality television and human interest shows, especial ...

''.

Concept

''30 minuten'' is a stylistic

satire Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...

documentaries A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in term ...

and

reality television Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring unfamiliar people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 19 ...

. The title refers to its half-hour length and was inspired by the BBC documentary series ''

Sixty Minutes ''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...

''. The series is filmed in a

style with

tragicomic Tragicomedy is a literary genre that blends aspects of both tragic and comic forms. Most often seen in dramatic literature, the term can describe either a tragic play which contains enough comic elements to lighten the overall mood or a serious ...

undertones. Each episode features a standalone "documentary" about every day people followed by a camera crew. Ederveen tried to present the characters not as caricatures, but as actual people. In an interview he claimed: "What I'm doing now are no longer comic characters, but people of flesh and blood."

Overview of episodes

;Season 1 1. Vrije verstrekking (''Free distribution''): A

heroin Heroin, also known as diacetylmorphine and diamorphine among other names, is a potent opioid mainly used as a recreational drug for its euphoric effects. Medical grade diamorphine is used as a pure hydrochloride salt. Various white and brow ...

junkie takes part in a government project where he writes a children's novel in order to reintegrate into society. 2. Fanny en Fanneke (''Fanny and Fanneke''): A couple owns a small dog that is about to give birth. In the hospital it turns out that the animal suffers from a medical complication. The dog owners are now forced to choose between the life of their pet and her puppies. 3. Fout in '45 (''Wrong in '45''): An old woman takes care of her sick mother. The daughter speaks about her affair with a German soldier during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, of which her mother still disapproves. 4. Beyond tomorrow: An art historian has an advice center which predicts future events. In the episode he helps a TV presenter to better her public image and gives a

margarine Margarine (, also , ) is a spread used for flavoring, baking, and cooking. It is most often used as a substitute for butter. Although originally made from animal fats, most margarine consumed today is made from vegetable oil. The spread was orig ...

manufacturer advice on how to modernize his product. 5. Geboren in een verkeerd lichaam (''Born in a wrong body''): A Dutch farmer feels trapped inside his own body. He thinks he's a bosjesman from

Zaïre Zaire (, ), officially the Republic of Zaire (french: République du Zaïre, link=no, ), was a Congolese state from 1971 to 1997 in Central Africa that was previously and is now again known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Zaire was, ...

and decides to have

plastic surgery Plastic surgery is a surgical specialty involving the restoration, reconstruction or alteration of the human body. It can be divided into two main categories: reconstructive surgery and cosmetic surgery. Reconstructive surgery includes craniofa ...

and a

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compo ...

operation, before eventually moving to Africa. This episode has become the most famous, winning a

Golden Calf According to the Bible, the golden calf (עֵגֶל הַזָּהָב '' ‘ēgel hazzāhāv'') was an idol (a cult image) made by the Israelites when Moses went up to Mount Sinai. In Hebrew, the incident is known as ''ḥēṭə’ hā‘ēgel'' ...

for its execution. 6. Scenes behind the scenes: During a fictitious celebrity show a singer and his partner show their luxurious home, where they talk about their projects. 7. Daarom (''That's Why''): a

hidden camera A hidden camera or spy camera is a camera used to photograph or record subjects, often people, without their knowledge. The camera may be considered "hidden" because it is not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another obje ...

follows the sufferings of the De Vries family. ;Season 2 8. Vanwege Maartje (''Because of Maartje''): a female politician tries to obstruct her colleague when she is invited by the TV show ''

Nova A nova (plural novae or novas) is a transient astronomical event that causes the sudden appearance of a bright, apparently "new" star (hence the name "nova", which is Latin for "new") that slowly fades over weeks or months. Causes of the dramati ...

''. 9. Feliz Navidad: A housewife hears she's

allergic Allergies, also known as allergic diseases, refer a number of conditions caused by the hypersensitivity of the immune system to typically harmless substances in the environment. These diseases include hay fever, food allergies, atopic derma ...

to Christmas and decides to undergo intense therapy. 10. Rondom Ons (''Around us''): In this spoof of the TV talkshow ''Rondom Tien''("Around Ten"), some actual Dutch media celebrities are interviewed about their "recognition symptoms". Their "illness" is treated in the Psychiatric Broadcasting Clinic. 11. Een zijden draad (''A silk thread''): A military officer wants more openness about one of the Ministry of Defense's secret hobbies, which happens to be

knitting Knitting is a method by which yarn is manipulated to create a textile, or fabric. It is used to create many types of garments. Knitting may be done by hand or by machine. Knitting creates stitches: loops of yarn in a row, either flat or i ...

, and organizes an exposition. 12. Een stukje eigen ikje (''A piece of my own me''): A lesbian couple lead a course where they want to bring the feminity of emancipated women to the surface. The harmony is disturbed when one of them falls in love with a fellow course taker. 13. Kasteelroman (''Castle novel''): A rich baroness talks about her past and her secret love for a mysterious gardener. 14. Meneer Pastoor (''Mister Priest''): A local priest tries to organize the annual culture week, which has

buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and gra ...

as its central theme that week.

25 Minuten

In 2001 a spin-off was created named ''25 minuten'' (''25 minutes''), which was more absurd in its mockumentary style.

List of episodes

1. Club Amor: A reality crew films inside a

brothel A brothel, bordello, ranch, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in sexual activity with prostitutes. However, for legal or cultural reasons, establishments often describe themselves as massage parlors, bars, strip clubs, body rub par ...

. 2. Als we ervoor gaan, gaan we ervoor (''When we go for it, we go for it'') : A couple has trouble with being on time, but decides to overcome their problem. 3. De muze van Harry M. (''The muse of Harry M.'') : A soap about Irrëala Fictie, the muse of authors, who is unable to keep work and private life separate. The ''Harry M.'' in the title refers to novelist

Harry Mulisch Harry Kurt Victor Mulisch ( ; 29 July 1927 – 30 October 2010) was a Dutch writer. He wrote more than 80 novels, plays, essays, poems, and philosophical reflections. Mulisch's works have been translated into over thirty languages. Along with Wi ...

. 4. De Eugenie Groenhuyzen Show (''The Eugenie Groenhuyzen Show'') : A talk show about business issues, aimed at a female demographic. 5. Schemergeval (''Twilight case''): A magical realistic drama about a children's clown who suffers from heart problems and has trouble saying goodbye to his profession. 6. Er was eens... (''Once upon a time'') : A moralistic fairy tale about a representative in open doors who is converted in a seminary ran by

gnome A gnome is a mythological creature and diminutive spirit in Renaissance magic and alchemy, first introduced by Paracelsus in the 16th century and later adopted by more recent authors including those of modern fantasy literature. Its characte ...

s. 7. The Making of Nina Brink the Musical: A behind-the-scenes look during the making of a documentary about real-life Dutch business woman

Nina Brink Nina may refer to: * Nina (name), a feminine given name and surname Acronyms *National Iraqi News Agency, a news service in Iraq *Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, on the campus of Norwegian University of Science and Technology *No income, n ...

Awards

The first season won the

Zilveren Nipkowschijf Zilveren Nipkowschijf (; "Silver Nipkow Disk", named for German television pioneer Paul Gottlieb Nipkow) is a Dutch television award that has been given out since 1961 by a selection of Dutch critics. The three founding critics were Henk Schaafsma ...

The episode ''Geboren in een verkeerd lichaam'' received a

Gouden Kalf The Golden Calf ( nl, Gouden Kalf) is the award of the Netherlands Film Festival, which is held annually in Utrecht. The award has been presented since 1981, originally in six categories: Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Feature Film, Best Short F ...

Sources

{{Reflist

External links

* http://www.vpro.nl/programmas/30-minuten.html * http://www.beeldengeluidwiki.nl/index.php/30_minuten * https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0252752/ * http://www.arjanederveen.nl/archief14.html Dutch television shows Dutch comedy television series Mockumentary television series Parodies of television shows 1995 Dutch television series debuts 1997 Dutch television series endings Dutch satirical television shows Television shows set in the Netherlands Reality television series parodies