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Home > Screenings > Nordic World > Find My Family

Director: Jutka Kalanos Sallay

Producer: KRO

Cast: Derk Bolt

Genres: Reality

People: Derk Bolt, Jutka Kalanos Sallay, KRO

Shows: Find My Family

Companies: Nordic World


47 mins

The program started out as a development from a radio show in 1990 in the Netherlands. The programme reunites family members and/or friends that had lost touch. Initially, appeals for help in the searches were made mainly to the viewers. The programme aroused a lot of interest and thanks to the large number of tips many cases could be solved. This success gave rise to searching abroad as well. For many years the programme used to be a studio programme with a regular host (three different ones over the years) and with inserts of reports filmed on location. The host was assisted by a second host (Derk Bolt) who did the coverage from the editorial room and also made and recorded searches abroad himself.

Currently, Find My Family has grown into the most watched television programme in the Netherlands. The programme is entirely filmed on location without a host and handles only searches for relatives. Although the interviewer (director) is never shown, the interviewer’s questions are regularly included. One out of every 4 episodes the second host (Derk Bolt) is fulfilling a prominent role on screen while we follow him during his search abroad.

Up until June 2007, 310 shows were broadcast in The Netherlands (excluding repeats). In recent years there have been 25 shows per year with a total duration of 49 minutes per show. We currently broadcasted Summer Specials and are working with special episodes where we look back at how different families are doing after the reunion. Interesting to know is that a lot of searches are solved off camera. As the producer is handling more searches than being broadcasted they are able to solve more cases than the viewers can imagine.
The Dutch original once started as a studio show but over the years developed itself into a production totally shot on location. The format offers the possibility to implement a studio part but always complemented with material shot on location.

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