Dirk is a director, writer and producer with wide international experience in the Middle East, the Maghreb and Africa. Dirk's last film is the feature documentary 1979 BIG BANG OF THE PRESENT about the dramatic year that gave birth to the 21st century and our modern era.
In 2018 he directed THE SIEGE OF MECCA, the first comprehensive investigation of the hijacking of Islam's holiest shrine in Saudi Arabia. With five years of extensive work, the film reveals previously unknown facts and shows never-before-seen footage of a crucial event of world history. Produced jointly between Dirk’s OUTREMER and Pascal Verroust’s K2 PRODUCTION, THE SIEGE OF MECCA was supported by ARTE France, NDR, WDR, HR, RBB, ORF, FFHSH Hamburg, INA France; world sales by PBS International.
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DIRK VAN DEN BERG
CEO / director & producer
RUB AL KHALI - EMPTY QUARTER
79' - written & directed by Dirk van den Berg (2013)
After the era of 'Swinging Addis' was killed by the grim Marxist regime of the 'Derg', it took until the 21st century that a new generation of young Ethiopian musicians began to fill the void. This is their story, their music, and a declaration of love to Addis Ababa.
45' - written & directed by Dirk van den Berg (2012)
A rare glance into Kashmir, one of the world's most remote and inaccessible regions in the North of India. Much of the people's life happens on water. This film is offers a glimpse into the unknown floating world of the "hangi", the water-people of Kashmir.
6 x 15m - written & directed by Dirk van den Berg (2013)
A series of artistic short films commissioned by a major surveying company about the shift from oil to alternative energy in Saudi Arabia, filmed in some of the remotest areas of our planet.
35m - written & directed by Dirk van den Berg (2016)
The new instalment of our journey into the Origins of Music ("guzo" in the Amharic language means "the journey") with world-famous pianist Samuel Yirga. This time we travel to Gondar and the unexplored troubadour villages 850 kilometers north of the capital Addis Ababa.