On May 29, 1985, what was supposed to be a grand football celebration between Juventus and Liverpool at the Heysel Stadium turned into a brutal clash between English hooligans and Italian supporters. Thirty-nine people lost their lives, hundreds were injured, and millions of television viewers around the world witnessed the tragedy live. The aftermath of the disaster would reverberate for years.
Forty years later, director Jan Verheyen revisits the events in the international documentary series The Heysel Tragedy. Based on over 60 testimonies from five countries, the series reconstructs one of the most painful chapters in Belgian history. The six-part series will be available in full on Streamz from May 14, and later broadcast weekly on VTM.
Tickets for the match sold out in under an hour. Over 58,000 spectators and 400 million viewers were set to watch Juventus and Liverpool face off. No one could have foreseen the catastrophic outcome. The Heysel Tragedy is an ambitious six-part documentary series that pieces together how things escalated so dramatically, what went wrong that fateful evening, and who was ultimately held accountable.
To tell this story, the filmmakers visited 30 locations across five European countries: Belgium, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, and Italy. Witnesses were interviewed in iconic places such as the courtroom of the Brussels Palace of Justice where the Heysel trials were held, the test track on the roof of the Fiat building in Turin, the legendary Anfield Stadium in Liverpool, and various fan pubs on Anfield Road.
With testimonies—many from people speaking for the first time—and archival footage from multiple countries, The Heysel Tragedy presents a gripping and harrowing account of one of Belgium’s deepest national scars. The voices come from all sides of the tragedy:
Relatives of victims also share their stories, including the families of Roberto Lorentini and Amadeo Spolaore, Juventus fans who travelled to Heysel with loved ones and never returned home.
The testimonies are supported by extensive archival footage, reconstructing the events of the day—some from the witnesses themselves.
Directed by Jan Verheyen (Tsunami, Red Sandra, Vermist), the screenplay is based on the book Heysel – une tragédie européenne by Jean-Philippe Leclaire, deputy editor-in-chief of the iconic French sports daily L’Équipe.
Director of photography is the acclaimed Lou Berghmans (De Ronde, Van Vlees en Bloed, Den Elfde van den Elfde, Marina, All of Us), who previously collaborated with Jan Verheyen on Tsunami and the upcoming Son of a Murderer. Bart Van Otterdijk was the operator for the second camera.
Editing was supervised by Philippe Ravoet (The Verdict, The Alzheimer Case, Dossier K., Loft, Hasta la Vista, Matroesjkas, and over 80 other films and series).
Line producer is David Ragonig, known for major international productions such as War of the Worlds, Eiffel, Cheyenne et Lola, Sorjonen (Bordertown), and most recently Rebel by Adil & Bilall.
The score is composed by Steve Willaert, who previously worked on The Verdict, Madly in Love, Chantal, Eigen Kweek, and the acclaimed musical 40-45.
The Heysel Tragedy premieres on Streamz on May 14 and will later be aired by VTM. The six-part documentary series is produced by Geneviève Lemal and Scope Pictures, a Brussels-based (co-)production company with over 200 titles, 18 Cannes selections, 111 César nominations, and 4 Oscar nominations to its name. Recent co-productions include Titane, Annette, Police, Summer of 85, Cheyenne et Lola, By the Grace of God, Mrs. Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, and Personal Shopper.
Co-producers are Palomar (Italy), Fédération (France), and Max Rockatansky Publishing (Flemish region). The project is supported by Wallimage and the Media Fund of the VAF.
Commissioning broadcasters are RTL, VTM, and RAI.
copyright: TV-visie (translation: chatGPT)
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