For most, Planet Finance is a complex, influential world that only becomes visible when crashes occur in the financial markets. Stock market prices quickly shot back up on Planet Finance during the COVID pandemic, while the inhabitants of planet Earth were still sweeping the shards together.
The contrast could hardly be greater. But how does such a market emerge? Through interviews including the founder of the market in oil futures, one of its first traders and a neuropsychologist who mentally guides traders and hedge fund managers in making risky decisions, it becomes clear how Planet Finance grew into what it is today.

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, Aya Asakura
Cinematography: Joost van Herwijnen nsc, Matthew Allard acs, Pim Hawinkels
Sound: Rick Meier, Remco Bikkers, Tim van Peppen, Edan Mason, Benny Jansen, Sander den Broeder
Editor: Michiel Hazebroek
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 Julie van Oldenburgh, Ira de Witte, Anneke Schroeter, Sjors den Boer, Timo Nijkamp, Randy Griekspoor, Shaun Fernando, Bilal Hafeez, Yoshikazu Ajioka, Yoshika Tagashira, Yumi Honda, Rob Kamsteeg, Marnix Simon, Marco Achmad, Kristin Ruge, John Rub, Simona Rub, Lucas Marks, Pascal van Alten, Scott Bauer, Leah McGrath Goodman, Alexandre Laumonier, Albert Menkveld, Greg Laughlin, Larry Tabb, Alexander Osipovich, David Kleijwegt, Daan Wierda, Mariska Schneider, Sharon Yosef, Vian Paashuis, Brigit Dopheide, Julia Veldman,Petra Vermeulen, William Valkenburg, Thomas Bollen, Maasja Ooms, Rik Meier, Marleen Stikker, Pauline Dresscher, Joris Luyendijk, Amba Zeggen, Stella Meerman, Ida Schmertz, Cleo Campert, Britt Bennink

Archive: Witfilm - Na ons de zondvloed, NYPD, Screenocean, AP Archive, CNN, Tros, Archive.org, Aruba Global Cloud Data Center, Shutterstock
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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