Flemish public broadcaster VRT’s head of documentary talks relevance, impact, singularity for non-fiction content
At Canneseries, fiction and non-fiction projects hail from all corners of the globe. And, as Flanders features a strong TV drama industry, so it is the case with non-fiction and documentary series.
As head of documentary and commissioning editor at VRT Canvas, Gommers buys, commissions, produces and co-produces standalone documentaries and documentary series alike. And in this process, he is a key figure in bringing singular Flemish proposals to the channel and beyond. Popular on Variety
Before we started, you mentioned that the primetime window on VRT Canvas is dedicated to non-fiction works, from Monday to Thursday.
This has been the way VRT Canvas has worked for a long time, as we were always keen on pushing the envelope on non-fiction and documentary projects. What has evolved is our focus and the kind of projects we showcase, depending on the times and what is happening in the world around us.
What is the state of documentary production in Flanders and beyond?
From our point of view, what we see is that the means used to make and produce documentaries are evolving as well with the times. Today, you can work very quickly and very efficiently with small means, a lighter setting, and that has also an impact on the topics you can tackle.
Being part of Belgium, we also co-produce with the French-speaking public broadcaster RTBF [which shares the same building in Brussels] to bring to Belgian audiences topics of national interest through documentary form.
What are you looking for in 2026, when you select your projects?
When we discuss with both internal and external partners or coproducers, we always look for the most effective ways to approach a topic. But the stories that work best on Canvas are the ones who make a problem understandable to our audience, without telling them how they should react, or think about this specific issue. We offer a theme, different ways to look at it, and push the envelope on a topic we think is relevant today.
Your two Canneseries selected projects have aired on VRT Canvas, but they’re also available on your streaming platform VRT MAX. How does your audience consume your content today?
Linear TV still plays a big role for documentaries on our network, but we see that the younger the audience, the more likely they are to watch out content online. Yet to make the shows known to both the press and the public, linear TV is still a key aspect of our promotion.
After so many years in this industry, how do you feel about documentary as a medium?
Source: variety.com