• Duration: 490 min.
  • Aspect ratio: 16:9
  • Audio: Dolby Digital 5.1

The Emperor of taste (De smaak van de Keyser)

  • Genre: Special event mini-series
  • Cast: Matthias Schoenaerts, Katelijne Damen, Marijke Pinoy
  • Directed by: Frank van Passel
THE EMPEROR OF TASTE is a special event mini-series, consisting of 53 minutes x 10 episodes.

It is a grand, sweeping family saga that begins just before the outbreak of World War II and ends in the present day. Three generations of family, friends and enemies interweave their personal tragedies and triumphs to create a suspenseful story of love, death, murder and intrigue spanning 70 years of secrets, passions and hope.

Helena de Keyser is the strong matriarch of the family and the head of a successful gin distillery located in Belgium. The business was started by her father, expanded by Helena and is now about to pass into the hands of her beloved granddaughter, Alessandra.

When Helena learns the shocking news that she has only two months to live, she enlists Alessandra's help in unraveling the mystery surrounding the death of Helena's first and only true love Alfred.
In 1939, two best friends, Alfred and George, both fell in love with Helena. Helena gave her heart to Alfred, and they planned to run off for a year, climb the Himalayas and explore the wonders of the world. But then the war broke out, and Alfred and George were drafted into the Belgian army.

George, always an opportunist, worked his way up to a privileged position with the officers in charge. Alfred, on the other hand, couldn't adjust to the strict military routine, and spent his time writing long letters to Helena and searching the nearby woods for the perfect herbs to send Helena so she could create the perfect blend of gin for her distillery.

Alfred, George and the rest of their unit were captured by the Germans and sent off to a labor camp. Alfred died there.

After the war, George returns home and marries Helena. Their marriage is a stormy one. Through the years, she begs George to tell her the truth about Alfred's death. But that's a secret he takes to the grave.

Helena's search for the truth is a journey that mixes present day realities with past events. Every main character has something to share and something to hide. Each episode reveals startling secrets that build until the final truths are exposed in the very last minutes of the last episode.

Award Winning Series

Completed in late 2008, THE EMPEROR OF TASTE has already taken the festival circuit by storm, winning three top FIPA prizes at the 2009 Festival de Biarritz!

In addition to winning the D'or Grand Prize, The Festival de Biarritz awarded the Best Soundtrack to the score written by Wim De Wilde for THE EMPEROR OF TASTE and the Best Actress Award went to Marijke Dilles for her role as the young Helena De Keyser.