The Documentary Series The Children of Ruinerwold has won the Golden Televizier Ring 2021. The prize was presented tonight in Theater Carré in Amsterdam. It is the first time in the history of the Televizier-Ring that a documentary has won the audience award. The other nominees were the Videoland series Mocro Mafia and the docusoap A house full from KRO-NCRV.
In The Children of Ruinerwold documentary maker Jessica Villerius follows the four oldest children of the Ruinerwold family. Part of that family lived for years with their father, Gerrit Jan van D., on a farm in the Drenthe village of Ruinerwold. There they were completely isolated from the rest of the world.
The family was discovered when one of the children, Israel, had escaped from the farm and asked for help at a local pub. That is exactly two years ago to the day, said another child, Edino, at the beginning of the Televizier-Gala.
After Israel’s escape, the police raided. Father Van D. was arrested on suspicion of deprivation of liberty of all his children and sexual abuse of two of them. Not all nine of Van D.’s children support the accusations against their father.
In November 2019, Jessica Villerius came into contact with the children. The oldest children decided to tell her their story once. Villerius has followed the children closely for almost a year and a half. It is striking that she was given access to archive material, which shows how things have been going on in the family all those years.
Watch the announcement and the first reaction of the children and documentary maker Villerius here:
What is special about the documentary series is that it is an intimate, honest, true crime drama, says media scientist Dan Hassler-Forest. He has also seen the series himself. “True crime is a popular new genre, but the stories are not always neatly portrayed. In some cases, victims are exploited for the sensational story.”
That was different in the documentary series about the children of Ruinerwold, according to the media scientist. “In that you see that the story is made in a respectful, non-sensational way.” This gives the children sufficient time and space in the documentary series to tell their story. “They explain in their own words what has happened in the family all those years.”
This working method also gives the viewer the feeling that you have gotten to know the children up close, explains the media scientist. According to him, this explains why the documentary series has won the Televizier-Ring, a prize awarded by the public based on the most public votes.
“People who have seen the series have started to empathize with the kids,” Hassler-Forest says. “By seeing them at the Televizier-Gala, on the red carpet and then in the audience, the public knows that they are doing well. We like that as viewers: a good ending. nice bow around it.”
“The prize is for all of us”
The children who were present at the award ceremony reacted briefly to receiving the prize in the broadcast of the talk show Op1. “It feels like the start of something new,” Edino said. “What stayed with me after the documentary is that it doesn’t matter what you’ve been through in life. You never have to be ashamed of it. You can always be open about it.”
He also mentioned the absence of the other children from the Ruinerwold family at the Televizier gala. “I wish we could be here with all nine. But in the end, of course, everyone makes a decision to stay in the publicity or out of the publicity. But I think this prize is for all of us.”
The television moment of the year was also announced during the broadcast. That was Sifan Hassan’s win in the 5,000 meters at the Olympics: