TVOn March 22, 2021, it will be exactly five years ago that Zaventem airport was rocked by a terrorist bombing. That morning, the final-year students of the Sint-Rita College in Kontich were due to leave for Rome. Two of them cast their story in the fiction series ’22 / 3: We were there ‘.
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What was supposed to be an unforgettable end-of-year trip ended in a traumatic experience for these students. In the years that followed, they each tried to process the event in their own way. Jaap Van Veen and Tim Tielemans therefore cast their story in a six-part fiction series.
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Nobody thought of a terrorist attack when the first bomb exploded in Zaventem airport. “That first bang was a very muffled sound and sounded like it came from above. I thought there was a plane hit the ceiling or there was a gas leak. Certainly not that it was an attack ”, says Tielemans. “Until a few seconds later a crowd of people approached us. Panic broke out, which made it clear that something was really going on, ”says Liesbeth Van Geenhoven, teacher at Sint-Rita College.
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Small shards in the air
Then a second bang followed, but this time much closer. “There was an orange glow of light that waltzed over you. Small shards were flying in the air and I felt them hit my coat and my legs. It took maybe half a second, but it seemed like it took ten seconds, ”recalls teacher Oliver Debeuf. Each student or teacher present at the time dealt with the agony they faced in a very different way. Where one person fled for his life, the other lay dead still on the ground.
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A number of students fled into a small room where they wanted to hide. “At that moment I thought ‘wow, I made such a stupid choice’. I just walked into a box here. I’m trapped here like a rat, so to speak. They could come in here with kalashnikovs at any moment and shoot us all. That’s when everyone started texting their family. I had let my mom know that everything would be okay, because I didn’t want to say I thought I was going to die, but I did want to give some peace of mind. If I were to die, my last words would be that everything will be alright ”, student Maxime Ver Elst testifies.
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None of the students or teachers were injured, but they were not okay, says student Sofie Van Den Eynden. “A few police officers kept coming to ask if I was okay. That was such an absurd question. ‘No, it’s not possible, but what should I do’. ”
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Young talent
Six young talents interpret in ’22 / 3: We Were There ‘the main characters and give the students and teachers behind the stories a face. Just think of Jonathan Michiels, Zita Windey, Idries Bensbaho, Pepijn Vandelanotte, Sofia Ferri and Britt Das. Although, in addition to a few newcomers, some well-known names also play in the series. For example, Marleen Merckx is on the set for the first time with her daughter Britt and they also play in the mother and daughter series. In addition, there are roles for, among others, Bas Van Weert, Tom Ternest, Marc Stroobants, Els Beatse, Hans Van Cauwenberghe, Eva Binon and Alejandra Theus.
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The ending song that can be heard in the final episode is by Camille Dhont. She wrote the song ‘9 seconds’ especially for the series, inspired by the story and the testimonies of those who were there during the attacks in Zaventem.
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’22 / 3: We were there ‘can be seen on Saturday 20 March at 21.55 at VTM and from today on VTM GO.
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