Weapons - Firma Mes

The Netherlands is the world's fifth-largest weapons exporter. While genocide, war and climate crisis dominate the news, our economy keeps turning. How clear is our conscience when moral boundaries shift incrementally - or when you can no longer ignore your own stake in the system?

Weapons follows Raya and Iris, a young couple expecting their first child. They do the maths that many young couples face: one of them needs to earn more. Raya earns more, especially with a promotion in a rapidly growing sector: the defence industry. Iris, a primary school teacher, believes in building, not fighting. At birthday parties they explain that Raya works for a good cause - she lobbies for Dutch weapons contracts and sees arms as a necessary tool to enforce peace, provided they're in the right hands.

As Raya takes on more responsibility and joins larger meetings, she notices how her moral language is used to sell dubious deals. At home, unease grows: Iris sees her partner changing and feels excluded. What began as a shared choice becomes a wedge.

Based on current journalistic research, the production sheds light on the Dutch weapons industry: the mechanisms of political influence and economic justification, but also how language, ideals and loyalty can shift. A production about love, power, hypocrisy and moral noise.

Text: Nic Bruckman | Direction: Thomas Schoots | Cast: Nadia Amin and Roos Eijmers | Co-production with Bruckman Projecten