During a festive gathering at Lumière Cinema in Maastricht on Saturday 29 November, the Hustinx Prize for Drama Writers 2025 was awarded to Frederik Daem, Deben Van Dam and Nadège Bibo-Tansia. The trio wrote together Putain, based on an idea by Gorik Van Oudheusden, better known as 'Zwangere Guy'. The expert jury of the Hustinx Award for Scenarists praised their strong narrative mastery.
The characters breathe, grow, and fall. They aren't written to be sympathetic, but to be understood.
The writers are deeply honored, Deben van Dam said on behalf of the trio: “We've always tried to be unconventional and create what we thought would be good. Instead of playing it safe, we often decided to take a risk. It's all the more wonderful that this award is a testament to that process.”
The Hustinx Prize for Drama Writers is awarded alternately to a Flemish and Dutch playwright or writers. By winning, the Flemish trio follows in the footsteps of Annie MG Schmidt and Hugo Claus. Last year, Eva Crutzen won with her series "Bodem" (Bodied). The expert jury for the 2025 prize consists of Bram Renders, Bert van Dael, and Karin van der Meer.
The Flemish drama series Putain paints a raw and unfiltered portrait of Brussels youth. The protagonist, Gigi, presents his mother with a choice: her son or her lover. Anaïs refuses to choose. He leaves home, finds shelter with his friends, and tries to find his way in a merciless city where friendship and survival are paramount. The mix of street language, Brussels multi-lingua, and untrained actors creates an authentic, poignant atmosphere.
Frederik Daem made his debut in 2015 with the collection of short stories Even the Birds Fall and published his first novel Signs of Life in 2020. Nadège Bibo Tansia is a Belgian actress and starred in Talia's VoyageDeben Van Dam is the director of the television series Over Water and his short film The Way of All Flesh. Putain can be seen in Flanders on Streamz and in the Netherlands on Videoland.
