Planet Soil Junior

Mark
Verkerk

Mark has 40 years of experience in film and television, with an overriding passion for documentaries. He was born in Nairobi, Kenya and studied at the London International Film School. In 1980, he joined the Australian broadcaster ABC and began his own production company, making documentaries two years later. In 1990, Mark joined EMS FILMS and has written and directed a series of award-winning documentaries for international broadcasters (such as National Geographic, Discovery, ARTE and ZDF). The movie ‘Buddha’s Lost Children’ (2006) was his first cinema feature, which was nominated as an entry for the Oscars. As director of ‘The New Wilderness’, ‘Holland – The Living Delta’ and ‘Wild Amsterdam’, he has repeatedly proven to be a master storyteller.

Did you know that more soil animals live in a handful of soil than people live on Earth? More than eight billion of them! Underground communities of roots, arthropods, fungi, bacteria, and other living organisms ensure that the soil is healthy and full of nutrients. This diversity is shown through underground footage, time-lapse photos, and the simple “digging” in the dirt and looking for earthworms.