The film is based on the book 'Don't shoot, that is my dad' ("Niet schieten, dat is mijn papa") by David van de Steen, one of the wounded survivors of the assault on the Delhaize department store in Aalst (Belgium), November 9, 1985, which is depicted in the film. The title of the book was what his sister cried during the assault.
This film features a reconstruction of the true story of the bloody robbery of the Delhaize department store in Aalst (Belgium), November 9, 1985, which was the last but most violent attack by the Nijvel Gang. Survivor David van de Steen, who was nine years old at the time of the shootings, was on set every day to ensure maximum authenticity.
Stijn Coninx worked on the film for seven years together with David van de Steen, one of the survivors of the Nijvel Gang (Brabant Killers). Van de Steen thoroughly approved of the casting of Jan Decleir as his grandfather Albert (nicknamed "Petje"), who in reality witnessed part of the assault on the Delhaize department store which occurred accross the street. He later did some investigations of his own, but received letters with veiled warnings to stop digging. Although the grandfather died long before the movie's premiere, he was pleased to learn on his deathbed that a movie was in the making.
Actor Mo Bakker is playing 9-year old David Van de Steen, while Mo's real-life brother Kes Bakker is playing the role of David at the age of 12.
This film is based on the true story of the Nijvel Gang (or 'Brabant Killers') who executed a series of violent robberies between 1983 and 1985. The Brabant killers murdered 28 people during several raids, often targeting victims on purpose while the loot was meager at best. The identities and real motives of the perpetrators have always remained a mystery, although the brutal killings have been variously explained as attempts at blackmail, political terrorism or cover-up of political or criminal assassinations. The subsequent investigation was plagued by mistakes such as insufficient cooperation, inadequate research and disappearance of evidence, and the fact that many members of justice were taken off the case for dubious reasons has many people believing in a governmental conspiracy. A confession in 2017 briefly brought new light to the investigation, but the justice department dismissed the information as irrelevant. Director Stijn Coninx said that he made the movie with the goal of refreshing the public's awareness and reopening the investigation, in the hope that the case will be solved before it reaches the statute of limitations in 2025.