Established in 1981, Eyeworks is one of oldest and most prominent production companies in Belgium, with feature films such as Bullhead and Memory of a Killer on its long list of credits, along with series such as Cordon, Missing Persons Unit and 1985. Alongside these majority Flemish productions it has minority co-produced films such as Piece of My Heart and A Beautiful Imperfection, and series such as Red Light and Grenslanders.
More recently it has branched out into animation, beginning with the feature film Cash for Trash in 2019, co-produced with BosBros in the Netherlands. This partnership is continuing with the children’s films Tummy Tom and the Lost Teddy Bear and Miss Moxy, directed by Flemish talent Vincent Bal.
The Twelve
One of Eyeworks’ most successful series is The Twelve, an anthology that follows a new jury trial in each season. Currently shooting its third season, The Twelve has been sold around the world, and remade in Australia with Sam Neill in a leading role.
The original series is commissioned in Belgium by Flemish public broadcaster VRT, in collaboration with its French-speaking counterpart RTBF.
We also have the support of the VAF Media Fund and Screen Flanders, which was a key element in making the production possible, and the Belgian tax shelter.
Each season draws on new writers and directors, with season one helmed by Wouter Bouvijn (Red Light) and season two by Kaat Beels (Tabula Rasa, Beau Séjour). The third season will be directed by new talent Brecht De Groot.
Juliet
Police drama Juliet was developed in Belgium and shot entirely in Flanders. It centres on detective Juliet Dumon, who leaves Brussels after the death of her father and returns to her hometown, De Haan, on the coast. There she temporarily joins the local criminal investigation department while confronting the practical and emotional fall-out in her personal life.
The series was pre-sold to German public broadcasters ZDF, which became a co-producing partner alongside VRT. It is currently in pre-production for a second season. Success in Germany
Also coming up from Eyeworks are the series Oh, Otto!, set in the Brussels queer scene, and the thriller feature film Moths, a co-production with the Netherlands. Meanwhile, a third season of police series Chantal is in post-production.
Co-producing with Eyeworks
When it comes to international co-productions, Eyeworks is happy to step in at an early stage, including with co-funding. But it always needs to see a logic in the story.
We want to know why it makes sense to co-produce with Belgium and Flanders, so that we can bring added value to the production with the right crew and the right actors, beginning at the development stage.
In return it offers more than 40 years of experience, and a reputation for dependability. “We reliably deliver what we promise,” says Bouckaert.
