Mafia Meets Ultra-Orthodox in Netflix Diamond Drama
September 20, 22
(IDEX Online) - Netflix is to screen an eight-part crime drama set in the heart of Antwerp's diamond district.
Diamonds charts the story of an ultra-orthodox Jewish family whose youngest son commits suicide.
His long-estranged brother Noah (Belgian actor Kevin Janssens) returns to take charge of the family business, using mafia-style methods that are anything but orthodox.
The drama has been co-created by Israelis Yuval Yefet and Rotem Shamir, the pair behind award-winning Fauda, and Line in the Sand. It is in Dutch, English and Yiddish.
The show is being co-produced by Israeli production company Keshet International and Belgium's De Mensen. It has been jointly commissioned by Netflix and the Belgian public broadcaster Een.
Cecilia Verheyden, co-director of Diamonds said: "We'd like to describe this series as The Godfather in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Antwerp.
"That is obvious for this genre. It is a super thrilling and above all unique story: an industry that was ran for years by one community, isn't something you see anywhere else in the world.
"But what attracts me the most, is that it is a family drama, about the relation between brothers and sisters."
Filming has already taken place in Antwerp. No date has yet been given for its release.
Pic courtesy Keshet International / De Mensen.