Steve McQueen | 2023 | NL | 266' | English

The past collides with our present in Steve McQueen's bold documentary The Occupied City. Inspired by Bianca Stigter's book Atlas of an Occupied City: Amsterdam 1940-1945, the film creates two interlocking portraits: one meticulously depicting the Nazi occupation door to door, haunting the city to this day, and the other a vibrant journey through the recent years of pandemic and protest. McQueen showcases the streets, canals, squares, buildings, and docks where barbarity occurred—but presents them as they are now, inhabited by 21st-century people going about their lives, while the voice-over calmly summarizes what happened at each specific location. What emerges over the span of more than 4 hours is both crushing and hopeful, a profound meditation on memory, time, and what lies ahead.

On May 4th, together with Amsterdams 4 en 5 mei comité, we invite all Amsterdammers to gather and watch this unique documentary on a big screen, to reflect and commemorate together.