ABN AMRO’s Sandra Phlippen to appear on Zomergasten: a long-cherished dream

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Long before she was invited to appear on the TV programme Zomergasten, Sandra Phlippen already had a long list of films ready in her head. “In my family, a regular topic of discussion has always been: ‘What films would you choose if you were invited to appear on Zomergasten?” says Sandra Phlippen, Chief Economist at ABN AMRO. However, when it came to reality most of her list had to be scrapped: “I also want to tell a story and not every film I like is suitable for that.” Sandra’s interview on Zomergasten can be seen at 8.20 pm on Dutch national TV channel NPO 2 this coming Sunday, 31 July.

When Sandra was invited to appear on Zomergasten – which consists of an in-depth interview with a guest, interspersed with film and television footage selected by them – the first thing she did was create a WhatsApp group. “With my mother, who has been a volunteer at an art-house cinema all her life, my mother's ex-boyfriend who is a walking film encyclopaedia, my sister who is a documentary film-maker, and one of my best friends who I often go to films and film festivals with.”

Sandra explains her enthusiasm for participating in the legendary summer programme: “We’re all film fanatics on my mother’s side. The question, ‘What would you choose if you were on Zomergasten?’ is very much intertwined with my family. So when that question comes up in real life, well that’s a dream come true. I already had a list of films ready in my mind, but those films are never really about economics. The actual invitation put me in a quandary, because I also want to tell a story. As worded so aptly on the website of Zomergasten (in Dutch): ‘I want to show the big transition we are in the midst of right now. At the same time, I want to protect the viewer from fatalism and show opportunities that will hopefully spur activism and entrepreneurship.’ That part’s right. It also says that I do research on populism. That, on the other hand, is not true.”

For weeks, the VPRO programme makers came by every other Saturday to prepare for the 3-hour-long conversation about her favourite film moments and the stories behind them. The penultimate week before the broadcast, she locked herself away at home to prepare. Twelve films have now been selected and, from these, twelve fragments selected, and twelve introductions crafted.

Parcel deliverer

“During the preparations with the VPRO, I learned that the films that I find interesting are ultimately all about social issues. I can lift a corner of the veil. I chose a film about a parcel deliverer going under in the platform economy. The film shows the vulnerability of employees in a flexible labour market. This is how I selected my subjects, those at the interface between my social engagement and my field of work.”