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| Gagnants | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | Leyla Meinert |
| Based on | Gagnants by Leyla Meinert |
| Written by | Leyla Meinert Mannix van Devanter |
| Directed by | Benoit Lichterman Femke Bick Mannix van Devanter |
| Opening theme | "Lundi bleu" by L'ordre |
| Composer(s) | Eric Kaper |
| Country of origin | Hennehouwe |
| Original language(s) | Hennish, Gaullican |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Leyla Meinert Benoit Lichterman Femke Bick Mannix van Devanter |
| Camera setup | Single-camera |
| Running time | 54-57 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Horizon Pictures Ecran Hennehouwe |
| Distributor | HNO Internationaal iPlay |
| Release | |
| Original network | De Eerste (Hennehouwe) iPlay (international) |
| Picture format | HDTV 1080i |
| Audio format | Surround |
| First shown in | Hennehouwe |
| Original release | October 14, 2021 – present |
Gagnants ("Winners") is a Hennish coming-of-age drama television series produced by Horizon Pictures and Ecran Hennehouwe for De Eerste and iPlay. It is based principally on the 2018 novel of the same name by Leyla Meinert, who also serves as the series' lead writer and executive producer. The series follows the lives of six students from radically different backgrounds whose lives intersect at the start of their undergraduate studies at the prestigious Leeuwenbrug University.
The series is filmed on-location at Leeuwenbrug University in Leeuwenbrug, Flamia, with additional filming for season one taking place in s'Holle and Gaullica. Writing for the series was conducted by Meinert and Mannix van Devanter, the latter of whom also served as director alongside Benoit Lichterman and Femke Bick. The series premiered on De Eerste in Hennehouwe on 14 October 2021, with an international release through iPlay one day later on 15 October 2021.
The first season of Gagnants received positive reviews in its native Hennehouwe, with praise for its cast performances, writing, cinematography, and its approach to sensitive and taboo topics. Issues addressed during the first season included love, sex, mental health, drug use, sexual assault, LGBTQ+ issues and friendship breakdown. Gagnants won an award for Best Hennish Drama at the 2022 Gouden Awards, with individual awards for cast members x and y for xaward and yaward, respectively. On 10 January 2022, HNO and iPlay announced that Gagnants had been green lit for a second season, slated to air in late 2023.
Premise
Gagnants focuses on the lives and experiences of six students at Leeuwenbrug University. The institution is Hennehouwe's highest ranked university and considered to be its most prestigious, with the show's title referring to the informal description of the university's students as "winners" of the education system. The lives of the six students, who each come from strikingly different backgrounds to one other, become intertwined when they find themselves sharing a communal flat in one of the many residential halls of the university during their first year of studies, which forms the basis of the first season.
Season 1 focuses on the overarching themes of identity, freedom and exploration, with each of the main characters facing their own dilemmas. Eden uses her first year of university in a new city to find her identity and circle, now free from the small-town mentality and stigma she faced in her hometown. Mia struggles with self-acceptance and comes across as somewhat cold and reserved to her acquaintances, with it being revealed during the season that she faced pressure to succeed academically and had been abused by her father in her teen years. Kasper enters university just over one year on from the sudden death of his mother, and faces an internal conflict over his future professional pathway. Saif deals with the culture shock of entering Leeuwenbrug, a very different world to that of his working class upbringing, and begins to explore his sexuality, thus bringing him into conflict with his hometown peers and his religion. Art becomes involved with drugs and alcohol, whilst Froukje finds her identity in expressing herself more openly, whilst trying to make friends in an environment more conducing to that.
Cast
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Main
- Aurora Garner as Eden de Jonge, a student of Euclean & Linguistics Studies from a middle class suburban background. She is transgender and pansexual, who embraces a fresh start at university as an opportunity to discover her true self.
- Ava Campi as Mia Sabatine, a mathematics student from an entrepreneurial Etrurian family. She is Art's love interest during season one.
- Elijah Voss as Kasper Hendrix, a liberal arts student from Stavenisse whose primary passion is music.
- Mahmood Malik as Saif al-Safi, an engineering student from the Nieuwenhuis district of s'Holle. A highly academic student from a socio-economically disadvantaged background and a troubled past, his education and accommodation is provided for on a scholarship.
- Sebastian Dereumaux as Art Klok, a business and economics student from a wealthy, Catholic background. His mother is a prominent federal conservative politician. He is Mia's love interest during season one.
- Suus van Smienk as Froukje Pieffers, a biology stduent who becomes involved with the student media association and feminist causes on-campus. She frequently recounts her life experiences as part of short stories she writes.
Episodes
| Series | Episodes | Originally aired | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| First aired | Last aired | ||||
| 1 | 9 | 14 October 2021 | 9 December 2021 | ||
Production
Development
Following the successful release of the novel in 2018, Leyla Meinert announced on social media that she had begun writing a draft script for a televised adaptation of Gagnants in December 2018. In March 2020, it was announced that HNO and iPlay jointly commissioned a nine-episode series written by Meinert and Mannix van Devanter. Both were also named as executive producers for the drama, alongside co-directors Femke Bick and Benoit Lichternman. s'Holle-based Horizon Pictures was announced as the production company behind the show, with additional funding and support coming from the semi-state-funded media agency Ecran Hennehouwe and the Government of Flamia. It was reported in January 2022 that Gagnants was one of the most expensive television series in Hennish history in terms of production costs.
Casting took place in early 2020, with approximately 1,000 actors reported to have taken part in auditions for the main cast.
On 10 January 2022, HNO and iPlay announced that a second season of Gagnants had been commissioned, due to air in late 2023. Additional casting for new characters to feature in the second season took place in February and March 2022.
Filming
Principal photography for the first season of Gagnants took place on location in Leeuwenbrug in June 2020. Filming in the city and on on-campus sites coincided with the summer recess at Leeuwenbrug University, so as not to disrupt the vast bulk academic activities at the University. Many iconic sites of the University and the city were included in filming for the first season, including the Old Library (Hennish: Oude Bibliotheek) and the Provost's Bridge (Hennish: Provoostbrug). Scenes at the student apartment were filmed in a student housing block in the Wolder district of the city.
Additional filming for the first season took place in s'Holle, Stavenisse and Broek for the main cast's backstories. Filming for episode eight, in which the group travel to Art's family holiday home, took place in the Assonaire region of Gaullica in October 2020.
It was confirmed on social media in June 2022 that filming had commenced in Leeuwenbrug for the second season that month.
Music
The soundtrack for the show includes music by both Hennish and international artists, with recently-released material, songs from the 1980's and 1990's, as well as covers of older songs by Hennish artists. The theme tune used for Gagnants is "Lundi bleu" by 1980's Gaullican rock band L'ordre. Following the show's premiere, the song re-entered the Hennish charts for the first time in 33 years, peaking at number six in November 2021. "Kasper's lied" (Kasper's Song), sung by lead actor Elijah Voss during the last episode of season one, was subsequently released on streaming platforms and peaked at number three in the Hennish charts.
Release
The premiere of Gagnants aired on De Eerste in Hennehouwe on 14 October 2021, with subsequent episodes of season one airing weekly on Thursday nights through to 9 December 2021. Episodes were simultaneously made available on HNO's streaming service HNO Nu.
Outside of Hennehouwe, episodes were made available on iPlay in most markets one day after its Hennish airing, beginning with the first episode on 15 October 2021 (16 October in some Asterian markets), with the final episode being made available on 10 December 2021. A number of broadcasters have also bought rights to air the show in their domestic markets.
Reception
Critical response
The first season of Gagnants was met with critical acclaim from critics in its native Hennehouwe. Much of the praise for the series has been given for its storytelling, acting, aesthetics, and for its portrayal of sensitive topics and of the contemporary experience of Hennish youth. Ludo Hoekstra of Courant described Gagnants as a "commentary on the dynamics of Hennehouwe's new generation—of both the thrilling highs and sobering lows they experience—underpinned by masterful performances of the lead cast." Femke van Outen of Initiée praised the performances of Garner and van Smienk in particular. Tabitha Jadot remarked that Gagnants accurately portrayed the social norms and popular culture reflected in today's society, in tandem with a realistic depiction of issues that have often been neglected by older generations, such as mental health and gender identity. Mark Vanneste of TeleVandaag wrote that whilst that Gagnants was an example of the 'rise of modern Hennish drama', he warned that the inclusion of so many unique characters with parallel storylines risked 'running the show off-course' in the longer term.
On the subject of the show's portrayal of sensitive subject matter, Gagnants has also received praise from a number of organisations. TransH, a s'Holle-based organisation that supports trans youth, lauded the performance of Garner and the show's depiction of trans people in general. Gedachtenhuis, a mental health advocacy charity, praised the series' portrayal of mental health issues, and in particular the depiction of a counselling session in the seventh episode of the first season.