We have announced that filming has started this month for the four-part EO drama series BIJ HELDERE HEMEL, which sheds light on the aftermath of the fireworks disaster in Enschede from the perspectives of multiple fictional characters. The series depicts how a young neighborhood police officer (Joes Brauers), a detective (Thomas Acda), the mayor (Peter Blok), the boss of the fireworks company (Katrien van Beurden), and various victims cope with the catastrophic disaster.
The series is written by Golden Calf winner Philip Delmaar (best screenplay for El Houb) and Golden Calf nominee Edward Stelder (best screenplay for Hemel op Aarde), and is based on true events and eyewitness accounts from before, during, and after the fireworks disaster, which claimed 23 lives, injured hundreds, and destroyed over 200 homes. The direction is in the hands of Golden Calf winner Lourens Blok (best drama series for Rampvlucht).
Lourens Blok, director of 'Bij Heldere Hemel':
"In this drama series, we focus on the psychological aspect of trying to maintain control over the situation. Each character tries to bring order to the chaos from their own perspective. They struggle with questions about their role in this disaster. Did they act correctly? They grapple with feelings of guilt and shame. They all feel partially responsible for the suffering caused, even though some vehemently deny it."
Since the original neighborhood of Roombeek has been completely rebuilt, filming takes place in various other locations in the Netherlands and partly in the studio, where the destroyed neighborhood is virtually reconstructed using LED technology.
BIJ HELDERE HEMEL is produced by us in co-production with EO and is made possible with the support of the Netherlands Film Production Incentive. The series is expected to air on EO on NPO 1 in the spring of 2025, which marks 25 years since the disaster.
Credits photos
Joes: Anton
Hendrik
Thomas:
William Rutten
Peter:
Jitske Schols
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