The documentary
The Executive Director of Frontex is Dutchman Hans Leijtens, who promised transparency and a more humane course when he took office in 2023. Yet he operates in a political arena where European humanitarian values constantly clash with calls for tougher border control. Although an extensive system exists to protect the rights of people fleeing, the series shows how that system can fall short in practice, and how humanitarian values come under ever greater pressure. Whether at the Turkish border, in the middle of the Mediterranean or on the crossing of the Channel between mainland Europe and England.
The migration debate has become more polarised in recent years. There are no easy answers, only hard dilemmas. To make that complexity tangible and understandable, Gates of Europe puts the people inside the system at its centre.
By showing the daily reality of border guards, policymakers, activists and survivors, the series brings shared humanity back into a debate that is mostly reduced to numbers and political positions.
With Gates of Europe we bring together people who are all part of the same European system of border control, yet rarely speak to one another. From the director of Frontex to survivors and civilian aid workers: their perspectives exist side by side, but they almost never hear or see each other. By bringing those perspectives together, we want viewers to reflect on where Europe stands today, and where we want to go.
“The planned expansion to 30,000 Frontex officers, some of them armed, marks a historic turning point for Frontex. With its budget tripled, annual spending on European border control reaches a record 1.1 billion euros in 2026. Two decades after Frontex was founded, and with ongoing wars in neighbouring regions, the pressure on Europe's borders will only grow. Can Europe guard its borders without violating human rights?”
The directors
Featuring
- Hans Leijtens Executive Director, Frontex
- Jonas Grimheden Fundamental Rights Officer, Frontex
- Reza Ahmari press officer, Frontex
- Chris Borowski spokesperson, Frontex
- Silvia & Nikola Frontex recruits
- David Yambio survivor and activist
- Romy van Baarsen journalist
- Jan Huzen activist
- Tineke Strik Member of the European Parliament
- Ola Chrzanowska civilian aid worker
In the press
“The documentary shows that border control without vision is an exercise in hopelessness. Because the higher the fence, the harder the struggle to get in, the bigger the profits for smugglers, the more deaths. The greater, too, the incentive for those who are already inside never to leave again. And the stronger the resistance to deportation.”
Sheila Sitalsing, de Volkskrant, 8 August 2026 (translated)
About the makers
The directors of Gates of Europe, Eefje Blankevoort, Els van Driel and Tomas Kaan, share a strong track record in telling layered, human stories about migration, power and global relations. Together, Blankevoort and Van Driel made several leading productions about European asylum policy and its impact on individuals, including Shadow Game and The Mind Game, about children travelling alone. Interactive and investigative projects such as De Asielzoekmachine and De Deal also show their ability to make complex policy structures accessible and relatable.
Tomas Kaan brings a complementary, international perspective: with the Netflix series Human Playground he explored around the world how human behaviour, play and power relate to one another. Together, the makers build on years of experience in connecting personal stories to larger political and social systems, a signature that forms the foundation of Gates of Europe.
The makers on Gates of Europe
Around the broadcast of Gates of Europe, directors Eefje Blankevoort, Els van Driel and Tomas Kaan appeared in various Dutch media to talk about Frontex, European border policy and the tension between border control and human rights. Els van Driel and Tomas Kaan spoke on Spraakmakers on NPO Radio 1, Eefje Blankevoort was a guest on Bureau Buitenland and Els van Driel joined Sander Schimmelpenninck and Jaap Reesema on the Zelfspodcast. The three directors also sat down together with Sophie Derkzen for DocTalks by NPO Doc to discuss their journalistic choices and the different perspectives in the series. Els was also an extended guest on Nooit Meer Slapen.
About the production
Gates of Europe is a Scenery production, co-produced with Clin d'Oeil films, VPRO, VRT and ARTE G.E.I.E. The series was made with the support of the NPO Fund, the Netherlands Film Fund, VAF/Mediafonds, the European Union and the Council of Europe.
Gates of Europe (4 x 45'), from 5 August, 20:25, NPO 2, and available in full on NPO Start.
Gates of Europe is broadcast as a four-part documentary series in the Netherlands by NPO and in Belgium by VRT. It is also released as a 90-minute feature-length documentary and as a 52-minute version.