Mar 23, 2026 4:09am PT

Set During the Nazi Occupation of Belgium, WWII Labor Camp Drama ‘Breendonk’ Explores Moral Dilemmas From Past and Present

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Kevin Giraud

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Breendonk Courtesy of VRT

For decades, Flanders has been building a strong TV and cinema industry, powered by locally groomed talents and creators who navigate easily between feature film, TV and now streaming projects. Actor Kevin Janssens started his career in this ecosystem with national and international hits such as Robin Pront’s “D’Ardennen” or Coralie Fargeat’s “Revenge.”

In 2020, after almost 20 years in the industry, Janssens felt it was time to step behind the camera and craft a dream-project that, he thought, needed to be told. Six years later, Janssens and co-director Filip Lenaerts brought “Breendonk” to its world premiere at Séries Mania, the now-unmissable Series Festival in the North of France.

A six-part limited series tale of resilience, resistance and the choices one has to make when faced with the atrocities of World War II Nazi occupation, “Breendonk” weighs in as an eye-opening series inspired by the real-life story of Belgium’s most infamous labor camp. Variety accessed in exclusivity a clip from the series

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“‘Breendonk’ is “a gripping, high-quality period drama that may be set in the past, but feels strikingly relevant today. At its heart are characters who must navigate difficult decisions we can all relate to: what is right, what is wrong, and how do you act when everything is at stake?” Said Wim Janssen, VRT head of drama. “We love bringing powerful local stories to life and connecting them with our audience. With VRT, we do this every day. And with New8, we now have the opportunity to share those stories with a much wider European audience.”

“At Studio TF1, we are always drawn to stories that ignite conversation and spark reflection,” added Camille Dupeuble, EVP International TV & Digital Distribution at Studio TF1. “It is this moral complexity that gives “Breendonk” its universal resonance and emotional impact. We are very proud to present the series to international audiences this year at Series Mania and we hope it will move viewers as deeply as it has moved us.”

“Breendonk” will make its world premiere at Series Mania on March 25, with a screening of its two first episodes. The series is a Belgian co-production between De Mensen, Anagram, VRT, Streamz and New8.

Variety talked to Kevin Janssens and Filip Lenaerts in the runup to the world premiere of “Breendonk.”

Kevin, you initiated this project. Why was sharing this story important to youmand what is your connection with this part of Belgian history?

Janssens: The real camp of Breendonk [which has since been turned into a memorial museum] is roughly 12 miles from where I live, in Antwerp. I think I was 14 or 15 when I visited Breendonk for the first time, and I was really overwhelmed by this place with its concrete bunker, and discovering all the atrocities that happened there. Not only perpetrated by the Nazis, but also by Flemish guards who oversaw the prisoners. Prisoners that were themselves ordinary people, young men like me or Filip. It was an eye-opening experience, and from that point on, I started reading a lot about this history. It soon became evident that, in Belgium, that part of history never translated to fiction. There had been a few documentaries, but nothing fictional about this almost taboo part of Belgian history. That also triggered my will to craft a story around that camp. Something that would be about humanity, moral complexity and the choices ordinary people have to (or decide to) make in a not so ordinary situation, and how they deal with the consequences.

You’ve mostly played in feature films, yet you decided to make your directorial debut as a series’ director, did you always envision ‘Breendonk’ as a TV series?

Janssens: Yes. There are so many stories to be told, and so many real testimonies or facts to draw from. It took us many drafts and rewrites to find the right entry point, because as you build this type of content, you can’t just make six episodes of people being tortured. We didn’t want to shy away from the reality of this history, and everything you see in Breendonk camp really happened, b