Submarine Channel

The Netherlands is the number one drugs country in Europe. Weed is in our genes, coke enters the country through the harbors and XTC is as Dutch as chocolate sprinkles. How is it possible that in a regulated country like the Netherlands drugs can be produced and traded on such a large scale? The interactive documentary The Industry offers an insight into the billion-euro Dutch drug industry.

The Industry, which is co-produced by Submarine Channel with Dutch public broadcaster VPRO, is a transmedia documentary project consisting of an interactive documentary, a podcast and a virtual reality experience.

Experience the interactive documentary 

Download the VR version (Oculus, HTC Vive) 

Listen to the podcast (in Dutch) 

In the documentary, weed-growers, coke barons and drug dealers recount personal stories about the kicks and stress of their illegal work. These stories are linked to interactive locations to provide insights into the Dutch drug industry on both a macro and a micro-level.

Explore 3D interactive scenes

Throughout the interactive documentary, you’ll come across “hot” locations captured with a ZED 3D camera. You can explore an XTC-lab, a weed farm, or containers in the harbor used for smuggling. Some spaces are real, some are reconstructions based on existing spaces. As you move through these spaces you’ll be listening to audio interviews with people from all levels of  “the industry”, like Jordy, an employee of a Dutch coffeeshop.

About the interviewees

We would like to thank all the interviewees for their help: Duco, Erik, Thessa, Inge, Philip, Faiz, Jerry, Frank, Rinus, Henny, Jacco, Jordy, JP, Rinus, Sean en Bas. (Almost) all names have been changed. A number of interviews were dubbed by actors at the request of the interviewees.