October 14, 2025
VRT programs ‘Mijn jeugdrechter’ and ‘This is not a murder mystery’ win awards at Prix Europa 2025
On Friday, October 10, 2025, the winners of the prestigious Prix Europa were announced in Berlin. Prix Europa is the largest annual European festival that awards the best television, radio, and digital media productions through a competition. No fewer than seven VRT programs and two projects in which VRT participated were nominated. The VRT Canvas program Mijn jeugdrechter (My Youth Court) won in the Video Documentary category. Phara de Aguirre was present at the award ceremony. The new VRT 1 fiction series This is not a murder mystery, produced by Panenka, received a special mention from the jury (2nd place) in the Video Fiction Series category. The series will be broadcast on VRT 1 and VRT MAX from Sunday evening, October 26.
Olivier Goris, Head of Video at VRT: “What fantastic news! This once again shows how powerful programs from our region are appreciated internationally. 'Mijn jeugdrechter' was a very important VRT Canvas program this spring. Phara de Aguirre and the creators succeeded in making a difficult and sensitive issue tangible in a moving way, from the perspective of all those involved. A program with a sharp angle and great impact. And the special commendation in the Video Fiction category for our prestigious Sunday evening series 'This is not a murder mystery', airing from October 26 on VRT 1, is also incredibly gratifying and confirms the international appeal of this brilliant series by Panenka, with Pierre Gervais starring as René Magritte.”
In addition to these award-winning VRT programs, several others were nominated for the Prix Europa:
Pano: Welkom in Aalter (category: Video Investigation)
Podcast: Niemand vindt u leuk (category: Audio Documentary)
VRT Canvas series: Drugs, dus (category: Video Documentary)
VRT MAX fiction series: Red flag (category: Digital Media)
Also nominated in the Digital Media category:
Factcheckmarathon, a collaboration between VRT NWS, Knack, Factcheck.Vlaanderen, deCheckers, RTBF, Algemeen Dagblad, Pointer (KRO/NCRV), and Nieuwscheckers.
Playing with fire, an EBU investigation into hybrid warfare, with contributions from the VRT NWS fact-checking team.
The Ketnet program Wat niemand ziet was nominated in the Video Iris category, awarded to the best European television program of the year on cultural diversity.
Mijn jeugdrechter
Category: Video Documentary
In the VRT Canvas series Mijn jeugdrechter, Phara de Aguirre returns to juvenile court with young adults who were once supervised by a juvenile judge. They review their case files and ask the judge the questions they’ve carried with them. They also visit the institutions where they stayed or meet people who played a significant role in their youth. Exceptionally, filming was allowed during court sessions where judges decide on current youth cases.
Phara de Aguirre: "We are deeply honored by the award, but we dedicate it to the young people who participated in the series. It’s not easy to talk on television about having been under the supervision of a juvenile judge, but thanks to the stories of Shani, Sydney, Haytham, Mathias, Levy, Laura, and Jochem, it has become clear that the vast majority of these young people come from troubling upbringing situations.”
This is not a murder mystery
Category: Video Fiction Series
Even before This is not a murder mystery airs on television, the series is already receiving accolades. This six-part suspenseful murder mystery, premiering on October 26 on VRT 1, VRT MAX, and currently available on Pickx+, follows Belgian artist René Magritte to England, where he’s invited to an exclusive art exhibition at a lavish English estate. Among the guests: Salvador Dalí, Lee Miller, and Man Ray. What was meant to be a delightful gathering of artists quickly turns into a murder mystery when one of the guests is found dead: after a wild night, Magritte wakes up next to the lifeless body of a young female artist, with no memory of what happened. As Scotland Yard launches an investigation and forbids anyone from leaving the estate, Magritte does everything he can to prove his innocence. In a world where nothing is what it seems, every clue becomes a riddle… and every guest a suspect.
The series was directed by Hans Herbots and written by Christophe Dirickx and Paul Baeten. The original concept is by Matthias Lebeer (also co-director of episodes 3 and 4) and Christophe Dirickx, with Kato Maes and Kristoffel Mertens as producers. Rising star Pierre Gervais (known from Knokke Off and Julie zwijgt) plays René Magritte. He is joined by Geert Van Rampelberg, Oscar Louis Högström, Lauren Versnick, and international talents such as Stephen Tompkinson, Donna Banya, Florence Hall, Jonathan Delaney Tynan, and Mathilde Warnier.
Director Hans Herbots: “Recognition, like an award, is always gratifying. It’s a well-deserved boost for everyone who contributed to this series. That it happens right before the premiere, just as the wider public is about to discover This is not a murder mystery, makes it even more special. And the fact that the award is presented by creators from all over Europe, gathered here in Berlin, makes it truly exceptional. It’s wonderful to see how Flemish fiction resonates with everyone here. Very happy, very proud—and very grateful!”
The series was produced by Panenka in co-production with VRT, RTL Belgium, Proximus, Deadpan Pictures, and New8, with support from the Flemish Audiovisual Fund, Screen Flanders, screen.brussels, the Brussels Capital Region, the Belgian Tax Shelter, Screen Ireland, Creative Europe Media, and the Council of Europe Series Co-Productions. STUDIOCANAL handles international distribution.
TINAMM
