Comedy drama series Callboys dazzles at FIPA festival in Biarritz

03/02/2017

'Callboys', the new comedy series from director and script-writer Jan Eelen, has won the prize for Best Actor at the 30th annual Festival International de Programmes Audiovisuels (FIPA) in Biarritz, France. It is one of the most prestigious TV programme festivals in the world. Unusually, the award was shared between the four starring roles.

The three friends and gigolos Jay Vleugels (Rik Verheye), Wesley Biets (Stef Aerts) and Devon Macharis (Matteo Simoni) are sucked into the world of a woman they must do their best to satisfy on a daily basis. She pays them to provide male companionship with that little bit extra. Randy Paret (Bart Hollanders) serves as the general dogsbody. The four run a business with a website and a pimped-out office. Randy answers the phone, makes the food and cleans the toilets. The four believe so strongly in the power of their brand that they decide to diversify their small company and bring out merchandise. But their headlong testosterone-fuelled plunge into recklessness turns the tiny fractures in the group into irreconcilable gulfs.

The seven-part series was also nominated for the FIPA d'Or for Best Series and the prizes for Best Director, Best Scenario and Best Soundtrack. Two episodes were shown at the festival.

The series is a coproduction by production house FBO/Woestijnvis, the operator of analog and digital TV Telenet and the TV channel Vier, which saw great success in the latter half of 2016.