Panenka

One of Panenka’s best-travelled titles has been Taboo, in which a stand-up comedian spends time with a group of vulnerable people and, having got to know them and the difficulties they face, presents a comic routine about their situation. “This lets us laugh about topics that are usually off-limits,” says Mertens.

The programme has been a huge hit for Flemish public broadcaster VRT and has already been remade in more than 10 other territories.

Remakes are also under consideration for the drama series Two Summers, which tells the story of a group of friends who get together 30 years after a holiday that ended in tragedy. Made for VRT, the series has also been streamed worldwide on Netflix.

Another success has been the documentary series The Vatican: the State of the Church, which talks with cardinals and bishops in Europe, the USA and Africa about the challenges faced by the Catholic Church in the 21st Century. Co-produced with Italy, the series has sold in Spain, the Netherlands and several countries in Asia.

Panenka’s most ambitious project to date is This is Not a Murder Mystery, a drama series set at the time of the 1936 International Surrealist Exhibition in London. Invited to the country house of Lord James, celebrated surrealist Rene Magritte becomes mixed up in a murder investigation that involves several of his fellow artists. Considered a prime suspect, Magritte must solve the crime and clear his name.

Despite its British setting, the series is 100% Flemish. It is directed by Hans Herbots (The Serpent, Riviera and Paris Has Fallen) and written by Christophe Dirickx (Tabula Rasa, Red Light) and Paul Baeten (Two Summers, Over Water) from an original idea by Dirickx and co-director Matthias Lebeer. It was also shot mainly in Flanders, with Flemish heads of department and key crew members. "Apart from some exteriors that were shot in Ireland, we are proud to say we found most of the locations in Flanders," Mertens says.

“We are also collaborating on the series with Proximus, the Belgian telecom company, and the commercial broadcaster on the French-speaking side RTL, and we have support from Screen Brussels, Screen Flanders and the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF),” says Mertens. “And thanks to our co-producer in Ireland, Deadpan Pictures, we also have access to European funding – Creative Europe and Eurimages – and some financing from Screen Ireland.”

The series is already sold in 10 territories around the world, with Studio Canal handling the remaining distribution rights.

Panenka is keen to continue making ambitious projects with international co-production partners, with an emphasis on concepts that work locally and across borders.