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50,000 fans and the W817 movie will be made

Cast of legendary youth series makes call to fans of the first hour.

On Wednesday, March 4, the cast of the legendary Ketnet series W817 visited MNM. They brought big news: there are plans for a W817 film, but the cast needs the help of the fans. The scenario has been worked on for over a year, the entire production has been prepared, the cast and crew are ready to go and the locations have been booked. But the film will only be made if 50,000 fans buy a ticket between March 4 and April 4. The proceeds from the presales will complete the financing of the film. The film will therefore be shot specifically for these 50,000 fans who bought a ticket. Between October 2 and October 11, the film will be screened just for them in Kinepolis theatres all over Flanders, with lots of extras and an exclusive visit by some of the cast members. The film is aimed at the teens, twenties and thirties who grew up with the series. If the 50,000-ticket mark is not reached, all presales will be returned to the fans free of charge and the film will not be made.

“In 2017, we stood with W817 in front of several sold-out Sportpaleizen for the 20th anniversary of Ketnet. Thousands of Ketnetters from back then sang along at the top of their lungs to songs like “Zoë eats pita”. The reactions of the fans of the first hour were overwhelming and the questions for a reunion kept coming. We therefore enthusiastically got to work with the request of our fans and now we count on their help to realize this amazing project.” said the cast of W817.

The comical youth series W817 ran from 1999 to 2003 on Ketnet, but is still shown today. Several generations grew up with the immensely popular series. W817 is set in a student house where a number of young people live together. The series brought an original mix of absurd humor with often quite serious themes. The movie will be no different. Our favorite roommates are 20 years older, but are they also 20 years wiser?

In the film, we discover that the old friends lost track of each other after their studies. They each followed their dreams and passions and are at a tipping point in their lives. One day, they receive a mysterious video message from tech-geek Carlo. He invites his old roommates to his wedding party. During an eventful weekend, Steve, Birgit, Zoë, Tom and Jasmine discover that a lot, and at the same time little, has changed in all these years. But where is Akke? And what is Carlo really up to?

The film brings back the original cast of the series in a new story for fans of the first hour. And the second, and the third, … Jenne Decleir (Carlo), Govert Deploige (Steve), Kadèr Gürbüz (Birgit), Britt Van Der Borght (Zoë), Danny Timmermans (Tom), Aron Wade (Akke), Machteld Timmermans (Ellen) and Aagje Dom (Jasmine) play the main roles. The scenario was written by Bram Renders and Bart Vaessen (who are, together with Steve De Wilde, the creators of the original series). Pietje Horsten returns as director and makes his debut in the cinema.

‘8eraf!’, the W817 film, is a production of Eyeworks Film & TV Drama, in co-production with Ketnet and MNM, with the support of Screen Flanders, the Belgian tax shelter for film financing and in collaboration with SCIO Productions and Kinepolis.