A new crime format for ZDF started filming this month in Eupen and the surrounding area in Belgium: In “Eifeltod” Marie Burchard stars as Chief Inspector Jackie Baumgärtner and Bastian Reiber as Chief Detective Ernst Weber. The main cast also includes Mathijs F. Scheepers as forensic pathologist Norman Peeters, Christophe Sermet as District Attorney Serge Foubert, and Abenaa Prempeh as Inspector Nova Zirkowski. Michael Schneider is directing two films with the working titles “Das Mädchen im Hohen Venn” (The Girl in the High Fens) and “Dammbruch” (When the Dam Breaks) based on screenplays by Thorsten Wettcke and Adrian Illien.

The Eifel region doesn’t end at the German border. In eastern Belgium, the expansive landscape extends into the German-speaking community—including Eupen, the vast forests and moors of the High Fens, and massive reservoirs. This is the place Jackie Baumgärtner calls home. She knows the region and its people. At her side is Ernst Weber, who traded his Frankfurt precinct for the supposedly quieter Eifel. Jackie approaches people with great empathy and a keen sense for nuances. Ernst looks for patterns, contradictions, and verifiable facts. The two view people and crimes in different ways, which increasingly complement each other in their investigations.

Their first murder case together begins in the heart of the High Fens. There, a 23-year-old is found dead in the moor. The young woman comes from a family of hoteliers in Eupen and seemed to have her life firmly under control. But Jackie and Ernst soon uncover contradictions in the victim’s circle and a love story that exists primarily online. What lies behind the young woman’s chats, deleted profiles, and false identities?

In the second film, a murder leads them to the Eifel-Athenäum. The newly elected principal is found dead at the Weser Dam. Shortly thereafter, a conflict that has been plaguing the school for months moves into focus: A 15-year-old girl must stand trial for allegedly injuring a classmate so severely that he lost an eye. While parents, teachers, and students have long since taken sides, Jackie and Ernst begin their search for what actually happened.

“Eifeltod” is a ZDF commissioned production from Rowboat Film- und Fernsehproduktion GmbH (producers: Sam Davis and Kim Fatheuer) in collaboration with beside productions, with support from Wallimage and the Belgian Tax Shelter. Daniel Blum is commissioning editor at ZDF. Filming is expected to last until the end of October, broadcast dates are yet to be determined.