November 04, 2026
VRT brings historical drama series Breendonk to a wide audience
“Every single day, I’m shocked by what human beings are capable of. By the vile things people can do to one another.” These are the opening words of the haunting trailer for Breendonk, the new historical drama series from VRT and Streamz. The six-part prison drama by Kevin Janssens and Filip Lenaerts tells a story of people forced to make choices under extreme pressure, unexpected alliances and the search for humanity in an increasingly brutal world. Set in war-torn Antwerp in 1942, the series was filmed largely at the historic Fort Breendonk.
Watch the new trailer here. Breendonk airs weekly on VRT 1 and VRT MAX from Sunday 8 November.
Breendonk follows Elisabeth and Rik, a young couple from Antwerp who are brutally torn apart midway through the Second World War following a failed resistance operation. Elisabeth must go into hiding, while Rik and his father Leon are sent to the feared SS prison at Breendonk. To survive its brutal regime of terror, Rik and Leon form a secret alliance with Vaes, a Flemish SS guard who is increasingly questioning the choices he has made.
As war wreaks havoc around them, the lives of Elisabeth, Rik and Vaes become dangerously intertwined. They are forced to make choices that draw them into an increasingly threatening situation. Each responds to the horrific circumstances in their own way: do you fight or flee? How far will you go to survive? And how long can you stand by and watch?
The leading roles are played by Anne-Laure Vandeputte, Kevin Janssens, Koen De Bouw and Jolan De Bouw. They are joined by acclaimed international actors including Sebastian Hulk and Werner Daehn.
Reality and fiction meet at Fort Breendonk
Fort Breendonk opened its doors to the production from the very beginning. It was a visit to the museum at Breendonk that first gave Kevin Janssens the idea for the series. During the writing process, he and co-writer Filip Lenaerts (Het verhaal van Vlaanderen, Badgast, Tytgat Chocolat) were also able to consult extensive research materials, meet people and work on the script at the fort itself. Together with production company De Mensen, they spent years researching the history and developing the series.
They drew on photographs taken during the war by German propaganda photographer Otto Kropf, as well as drawings by Jacques Ochs. These materials also proved invaluable to the make-up, costume and art departments. Janssens and Lenaerts delved into prisoners’ testimonies, interviews recorded in the 1980s that are available online, and a wide range of non-fiction books. A key source was Jos Vander Velpen’s Kroniek van een vergeten kamp, which brings together thousands of pages of testimony from the Mechelen trial.
In 2021, Janssens and Lenaerts also interviewed Louis Boeckmans, who was then the last surviving former prisoner of Breendonk. As the last eyewitness, he could still speak from personal experience about the orders barked by German and Flemish guards, the daily beatings, the psychological terror, the taste of acorn coffee and what it means to go truly hungry.
The War Heritage Institute was also closely involved in the production. Its experts agreed to close the fort to visitors for a month to allow filming to take place. The script was considered sufficiently faithful to historical events to be filmed at the site. Filming locations were agreed in close consultation, with certain areas remaining off limits. These included the torture chamber, prisoners’ cells and execution site. Scenes set in these areas were therefore recreated at other locations outside Fort Breendonk.
Filming also took place at Fort Liezele, around five kilometres away. With its architecture closely resembling that of Breendonk, it provided the setting for all the series’ exterior scenes.
An international stage
Breendonk is the second series VRT has contributed to New8, the international drama partnership. New8 brings together eight public service broadcasters to deliver outstanding drama to a wide audience, guided by a shared public service mission.
Breendonk was written and directed by Kevin Janssens and Filip Lenaerts and produced by De Mensen for VRT and Streamz, in co-production with Anagram and New8. International sales agent STUDIO TF1 (formerly Newen Studios) handles distribution. With the support of the Belgian Federal Government’s Tax Shelter scheme, VAF, Screen Flanders, Creative Europe Development Slate and the Norwegian Film Institute. In collaboration with Fort Breendonk, Fort Liezele, the City of Antwerp and RTBF.
