Belgian-Maltese co-production Torpedo (aka U-235) has completed principal photography . The film is loosely based on real-world events. Torpedo tells the story of a group of Belgian resistance fighters on a secret mission that goes awry. The co-production spent a few weeks on the Maltese islands. It shot primarily at sea, just a short distance away from the picturesque fishing village Marsaxlokk, where a 67 meter replica of the U-boat’s exterior was purposelessly reconstructed for the film. Torpedo is Sven Huybrechts’ debut feature film and stars well-known Flemish actors including: Koen De Bouw, Thure Riefenstein, Ella-June Henrard, Vic De Wachter, Robrecht Vanden Thoren, Sven De Ridder and Bert Haelvoet.
While on the set of Torpedo, Dutch language news HLN caught up with Koen De Bouw, who gave some insight into the skills needed when shooting some of those all-important underwater scenes. He explained: “I was really nervous about those shots. I had to swim through two flooded compartments of the submarine, but I couldn’t see anything. You’re swimming in a big, dark cave, so to speak […] Luckily there were divers here and there with extra oxygen bottles hidden just in case I needed air. I have to admit that the scene gave me a few panic moments. I had taken diving lessons, but something could always go wrong”. Maltese crew are used to working on marine-based projects. The set had special mechanism in place to make sure the actor was safe at all times. “I’m happy,” Koen exclaimed after his underwater scenes, adding that the shoot “produced fantastic images and everything went well in the end.”
