Focus Filmtheater – Black-Out

In collaboration with the Arnhem Electricity Week (18–23 May 2026), Focus Filmtheater is hosting special screenings on the theme of energy.

Black-Out is a docu-fiction produced by EO in collaboration with the NCTV and the Ministry of Justice and Security. It depicts how a prolonged power outage can have far-reaching consequences for society. Following the screening, there will be an audience discussion: is our society sufficiently prepared for a disaster of this scale? What can — or should — we as citizens do?

What if Zuid-Holland, Zeeland and Utrecht have already been without power for 52 hours following a cyberattack on grid operator Stedin? And what if there is a risk of more provinces being affected? This is the starting point of the EO’s docu-fiction Black-Out — a scenario that may still sound far-fetched, but is more plausible than ever. Viewers are drawn into a reality that is fictional, yet based on a more than realistic premise.

Sacha de Boer — former anchor of the NOS Eight O’Clock News — returns to her old role for the occasion, presenting a special emergency bulletin. She connects with EO presenter Tijs van den Brink, who hosts a live talk show in which he and a panel of experts brief viewers on what is unfolding.

The makers’ aim with this programme was to prompt viewers to think — and to act. Not only in terms of personal preparation for a disaster scenario, but also in terms of looking out for one another.