Koning van de Wallen

The six-part VPRO drama series Koning van de Wallen (Red Light Empire) is inspired by the life of Maurits de Vries, better known as Zwarte Joop ("Black Joop"). From the 1940s through the 1980s, Zwarte Joop built a world-famous yet controversial sex and gambling empire in Amsterdam's Red Light District, until enemies, betrayal, and paranoia threatened his life's work from within.

In the series, Zwarte Joop (Gijs Naber) fights his way to the top of the notorious Amsterdam Red Light District. Determined to answer to no one, he expands his realm of sex, gambling, and unbridled freedom. But as his power grows, he becomes increasingly entangled in his own web of lies and control.

Photo credit: Mark de Blok