Titles From the ‘1985’ Team and Oscar-Nominated Director of ‘Daens’ Feature on Screen Flanders’ New Slate, Its First 2026 Investment 

Just in time for the Belgian annual party at Cannes, Screen Flanders, the Flanders Innovation & Entrepreneurship economic fund for the audiovisual industry, has announced an investment of €1.92M ($2.23M) in 15 new audiovisual productions, with nine majority Flemish (or Belgian) and six minority Flemish projects. 

According to Screen Flanders, the 15 supported projects will generate more than €16.1M ($18.7M) in eligible audiovisual expenditure in the Flanders Region. The support awarded within via call varies between €35,000 ($40,000) and €295,000 ($340,000) per project.

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With nine feature films, three drama series, two animated films and one animated series in the line-up, this first batch of recipients – of the two Screen Flanders allocations per year – takes in both veteran filmmakers and debut directors, showcasing the diversity of Belgian cinema and the appeal of Belgian partners on the European co-production scene.

From Academy Award nominated director Stijn Coninx (“Daens,” “Niet Schieten”) comes “Oh Lovely Belgium”, a truly Belgian story about every Belgian’s favorite conversation topic: the potential divorce between Flanders and Wallonia.

As the most unlikely scenario becomes a reality, the Walloon minister-president is incapacitated, and his daughter must sign documents in his name. But she has issues with the text. And being the Flemish minister-president’s ex-lover does complicate things as well.

Coninx co-writes the screenplay with “Zagros” and “Moscow, Belgium” writer Jean-Claude Van Rijckeghem. The film is produced by the Flemish company A Private View in co-production with Deal Productions in Luxembourg, with Kinepolis Film Distribution handling distribution across the Benelux.

Screen Flanders is also supporting the feature film debut of Clermont-Ferrand winners, BAFTA Student Award nominees Anthony Nti and Chingiz Karibekov (“Da Yie”). “Postcard” is based on the autobiographical novel “On Black Sisters’ Street” by Chika Unigwe, in which two Nigerian women flee to Europe in search of a better life but become entangled in the cruel world of forced prostitution. One clings desperately to her dreams, while the other sees an opportunity to climb the ranks within the system.

“Postcard” is produced by the Flemish company Caviar, in co-production with Walloon company Versus Production, the Dutch company IJswater Films and the German company Salaud Morisset. VRT is also on board as a co-producer.

“Amy”, the latest feature by the theater company Abattoir Fermé (“Hotel Poseidon”), and “Strokes of Madness”, a coming-of-age drama centering on a brilliant but vulnerable violinist, complete the Belgian majority live-action films backed by Screen Flanders. 

Animated features, including the adaptation of “Melvile,” Romain Renard’s award-winning graphic novel, are also part of this first round of selected projects.

“Melvile”, helmed by Renard himself with Fabrice Nzinzi as co-director, is produced by Brussels-based Need Productions and the Flemish company Walking The Dog, in co-production with Special Touch Studios in France, Unité Centrale in Canada and Fabrique d’Images in Luxembourg. Proximus, RTBF and Arte are on board as co-producing broadcasters. International sales are handled by Best Friend Forever. The original voice cast already boasts European renowned talents such as Melvil Poupaud, Vicky Krieps, Olivier Gourmet and Belgian sweetheart Bouli Lanners.

For this major international collaboration, Walking The Dog will set up the entire production pipeline. The characteristic charcoal effect found in the successful graphic novel is also an essential graphic and artistic element for the film, and will be designed, developed and made usable as a tool by the Flemish studio. This will be achieved using 3D motion capture, combined with 2D animation.

On the series side, “1985” and “The Twelve” director Wouter Bouvijn is set to reunite with the “1985” creative team on “We Are Family,” an emotional rollercoaster about kinship, family ties and true love. Produced by Eyeworks Film & TV Drama in collaboration with VRT, the upcoming show comes from screenwriter Julie Bovendaerde, with script development support from “1985” writer Willem Wallyn. 

Following up on the success of “This is Not a Murder Mystery”, a new whodunit series is also in the works in Flanders, with Wilder Content co-producing with VRT, RTL NL/Videoland, Proximus and Horizon Film. “Daughters,” created by Roel Mondelaers and Bert Van Dael and helmed by “Young Hearts” director Anthony Schatteman, centers around the mysterious death of a teenager which puts a small Belgian community on edge, promising a gripping blend of drama and suspense.

Wrapping shooting in Antwerp, the police buddy comedy “Clash” marks the third majority Flemish live-action series backed by Screen Flanders. Produced by the Flemish company A Team Productions in co-production with Amsterdam-based Fiction Valley, the series will be aired by Belgian broadcaster Streamz in 2027 and subsequently on the Dutch channel SkyShowtime. International sales are handled by Be-Entertainment.

On the animated side, Flemish company Fabrique Fantastique received support “Olga,” a favourite project at Cartoon Movie and adaptation of the award-winning series of graphic novels by Canadian author Elise Gravel. In it, Olga, a young zoologist who discovers an alien whom she names Meh, embarks on a fun and unpredictable journey as Meh is swiftly turning Olga’s life completely upside down.

Fabrique Fantastique is producing the series in co-production with the Canadian company Apartment 11 and VRT/Ketnet, while French company MIAM! distribution handles international sales.

Screen Flanders also supports six minority Flemish projects, including “Tummy Tom’s Spring Surprise,” the final instalment of the four-part series chronicling the adventures of child-pleasing, overly-cute cat Tummy Tom conceived and developed by Burny Bos around 2020. “Tummy Tom’s Spring Surprise” is produced by Catpaw Productions in the Netherlands, in co-production with the Flemish company Eyeworks Film & TV Drama. International sales are handled by Incredible Film.

“Anochece,” a Spanish drama following the last days of poet Federico García Lorca and four Dutch co-productions round up this packed and diverse line-up, doubling the amount of projects supported by Screen Flanders compared to last year. 

“The fact that this Screen Flanders call resulted in a higher number of projects receiving smaller amounts of support does not reflect a strategic shift on our end,” said Katrien Maes, Screen Flanders coordinator.

“It is primarily linked to the profile of the applications received, in particular the type of projects (for example high end TV drama versus low budget feature), their budget range, their planned expenditure in the Flanders Region, and their corresponding financing needs.” 

As Screen Flanders operates as a receptive fund, the level of support is based on the support amounts requested by the producers in their applications. All eligible applications are thoroughly evaluated, ranked, and the available budget for that call is then allocated in descending order of this ranking, respecting the support amounts requested by each project, until the budget is fully committed.

“The differences between calls can therefore largely be explained by the nature of the applications received. For example, the first call of 2025 consisted mainly of high-budget productions with significant expenditure in the Flanders Region, which resulted in higher requested support amounts. In contrast, the 2026 call included a broader mix of low-, mid-, and high-budget projects, with on average lower regional spend, and consequently lower requested support,” Maes added. 

Through Screen Flanders, the government of Flanders offers financial support to audiovisual productions that spend part of their budget in the Flanders Region. Belgian (co-)producers can apply for reimbursable advances of up to €400,000 (roughly $465,000) through Screen Flanders as economic support for their audiovisual expenditure within the Flanders Region.

More information about the supported productions can be found on the Screen Flanders website.