The Flemish Government’s Screen Flanders fund is investing €2.95 million in 15 new audiovisual projects, following an increase in its budget by €1.4 million.
The investment is expected to generate €24.7 million in expenditures for the audiovisual sector in Flanders. Screen Flanders states that every euro invested yields 8.41 times its initial value for the Flemish economy.
Flemish Minister-President Matthias Diependaele (N-VA) highlighted the international appeal of Flemish series and films, saying they act as strong drivers of the region’s economy and enhance Flanders’ global attractiveness.
The funding supports eight feature films and seven series, including two animated films, a sequel to the children’s documentary series Our Nature 2, and five fiction series.
Among the selected projects is the Belgian series Chasseur de terroristes, produced by Caviar, Los Morros, and Versus, with co-production by Belgium's Dutch-speaking broadcasters VRT and its francophone counterpart, RTBF.
The series covers the 440-day period between the attacks on Charlie Hebdo and those in Brussels, offering a gripping look at special forces operations during a time of heightened terrorist threats. It is based on the book of the same name.
Another project is Omerta, a psychological thriller produced by Dingie, the company behind the hit series Knokke Off.
Also receiving support is the film Lords of War, a British-Belgian co-production and sequel to Andrew Niccol’s Lord of War. Starring Nicolas Cage, Bill Skarsgård, Laura Harrier, and Sylvia Hoeks, the action thriller explores arms trafficking and geopolitics.
This funding round is the second allocation of subsidies to audiovisual productions by Screen Flanders this year, bringing the total to €5 million and supporting 22 projects in 2023.
Individual grants range between €50,000 and €400,000 for each project.
