A short film by Fabrice Chan
Written by Fabrice Chan & Jo Coune
Produced by Bea Catteeuw-Aït Benhiba
Genre
English title
Length
Original language
Coming of Age / Drama
Thank you Johnny
23′
Dutch
MERCI JOHNNY
PITCH
April 1998, Belgium. Two teenage best friends accept a ride from a middle-aged stranger. What begins as a carefree night of karaoke and beers slowly takes a sinister turn when the man’s true intentions emerge.
OFFICIAL TRAILER
MAIN CAST
Fabrice
Sammy
Willy
TIBO COURJOL
LUCAS GELDOF
SERGEJ LOPOUCHANSKI
Merci Johnny celebrates the power of friendship and aims to raise awareness about the harmful reality of victim blaming.
JOHNNY ROCK
French rock singer
Johnny Rock is the official French look-alike of the legendary rock singer Johnny Hallyday. In Merci Johnny, Johnny indirectly becomes the figure who saves the boys when the perpetrator’s aggression becomes imminent — hence the film’s title.
With a striking resemblance and powerful stage presence, Johnny Rock has been performing tributes to Hallyday for many years in France and abroad. His shows combine live music, charisma, and visual authenticity, creating an emotional experience for fans.
All photographs and cover images in Merci Johnny feature Johnny Rock. Footage and photos were filmed during one of his performances at O Petit Cabaret in Lens, France, in March 2025.
Special thanks to Johnny Rock and his partner and manager, Michèle Leroutier.
FABRICE CHAN
Script writer & director
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
Merci Johnny is inspired by something that happened to my best friend and me about twenty years ago. For many years, I told the story as an example of youthful naïveté. When I shared it again recently, I realized how deeply it affected people, and how serious the situation had actually been. That realization led me to write this film.
Merci Johnny explores two realities. Young people need the freedom to be curious, to explore their limits, and to make mistakes. At the same time, the film shows how quickly a situation can shift, and how danger can escalate in a matter of moments.
Above all, the film rejects victim blaming. Missing warning signs or ‘red flags’ never makes someone responsible. The responsibility lies solely with the perpetrator.
PRELIMINARY SHOOT
“O Petit Cabaret”, Lens (France), March 2025
FILMING
Ghent region (Belgium), May 14–17, 2025 / 4 shooting days
TECHNICAL CREW
Director
FABRICE CHAN
Producer
BEA CATTEEUW-AÏT BENHIBA
Production Coordinator
TESSA GROFFI
1st Assistant Director
LOULA BURNUS
Casting Directors
ELIEN VAN AERSCHOT
HADEWICH HUYSVELD
Location Manager
SARAH VERHOFSTADT
Location Assistants
JONAS DEBRUYN
KLAAS PATYNN
JAN MELKEBEEK
HASSAN FARDOWSO
Director of Photography
JONATHAN WANNYN
1st Assistant Camera
ILTON KABASSA DO ROSARIO
Data Handler
JO COUNE
Gaffer
NICOLAS LAGAE
Spark
WOUTER VAN ACHTE
BAS PEETERS
Sound Recording
ENEAS MENTZEL
Boom Operators
BRAM VAN DONINCK
LUKAS VAN DEN BROECK
Set Decorator
BAS BONHOF
Set Decorator Assistant
DRIES VAN OIRBEEK
Set Dresser
TESS VAN DEN EECKHOUT
Set dresser assistant
JEROEN ZEEGERS
Car Handler
JOHN LAMBRECHTS
Photography and Art
Work Johnny Rock
KIERAN VERSWIJVELEN
Archive Photography/
Agent Johnny Rock
MICHELE LEROUTIER
Wardrobe
ANNELIES BRUNEEL
Make-up / Hair
ILIAS BASTIAENSEN
Intimacy Coach
PHILINE JANSSENS
Set Photographers
KIERAN VERSWIJVELEN
ROBIN STEVENS
Catering
SHANTI SRITHARAN
PATRICIA MARIE
TINE VLIETINCK
Insurances
CIRCLES FILM / BCOH
Editor
JO COUNE
Color Grading
SAMUEL HERMAND
Online Confo
ARNOUT DEURINCK
Graphic Design
ANNELIES VAES
Post-production
coordination
ANNICK PIPELART
Sound Design & Final Mix
JEROEN DE MEYER
Music Clearance
LILAS-SIAM FARVAQUE
EMMANUEL VERRAES
WIM CORYN
Original Score
SZYMON BRZOSKA
FABRICE CHAN
Script writer & director
Fabrice Chan (1982) is a Belgian filmmaker with Mauritian roots, raised in French and Dutch. He has been working in television for over 15 years, making documentaries that focus on human-interest stories. As a filmmaker he explores the thin line between fiction and reality, allowing moments to play out in full to capture their rawness rather than shaping them through intercutting.
His second short film, Merci Johnny (Thank you Johnny), is about an event that happened to him and his best friend when they were 18 and 19. For this project he worked with first time actors, which gave him the possibility to create moments that feel deeply authentic and real.
BEA CATTEEUW
Producer
Bea, born in Ghent, Belgium, graduated in 1987 from the Royal Institute for Theatre, Cinema and Sound (RITCS) with a Master’s degree in Audiovisual Arts. She began her career in the 1990s as a freelance assistant director and production manager on international productions. In 2005 she founded DENZZO Brussels, producing over 300 branded films and awareness campaigns. Since launching the company’s film department in 2019, she has produced the feature film Sinner, the documentary FLY, and several short films including Merci Johnny. She is currently developing three new feature films, a documentary, and a fiction series.
MERCI JOHNNY
A short film made with the support of the Flemish Audiovisual Fund (VAF) and the Belgian Tax Shelter via Flanders Tax Shelter.
CONTACT PRODUCTION
Production / Press / interviews
Bea Catteeuw
She/her
Producer / Executive Producer / Founder
+32 (0) 476 34 53 53
bea(at)denzzo.be
DENZZO Brussels bv
Aalststraat 7-11, 1000 Brussels, Belgium
+32 (0)2 609 00 39
www.denzzo.be
VAT BE0843 299 588
CONTACT DISTRIBUTION (worldwide, non-exclusive)
Barbara della Faille
she/her
Coordinator & Head of Distribution
Agence belge du court métrage
1, avenue Maurice – 1050 Bruxelles
+32 2 241 73 70
VAT : BE 0651 929 377
Merci Johnny Shortfilm | 2026 | IMPRINT