From 3-12 November Cavia will be busy every day! Screenings, Q&As, art events, party... We are celebrating the 40 years of our cinema collective, an important milestone in Cavia's history. Click HERE for more information and the full program.

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De Stad Was Van Ons + Q&A with Eric Duivenvoorden
Joost Seelen | 1996 | NL | 95' | EN subs

The City Was Ours outlines the rise and fall of the Amsterdam squatting movement between 1975 and 1988. Based on highlights from the 'squatting history', the development of the movement is outlined. For many early activists, squatting was primarily a means of challenging the capitalist system. The relative ease with which homes could be squatted ensured that the movement experienced strong growth. As more and more people became involved in the squatting movement, internal conflicts arose about the desired goal and strategy. The increasing repression of the government, which evacuated buildings using great force if necessary, significantly fueled these internal conflicts. A 'hard core' in the movement wanted to fight the government and its representatives with violence, but the less militant members rejected these ideas about waging an urban guerrilla.

After the screening there will be a Q&A with sociologist, philosopher and former squatter from the Staatsliedenbuurt Eric Duivenvoorden. Duivenvoorden worked together with director Joost Seelen on the documentary. In 1991 he founded the Staatsarchief, the archive of the Dutch squatting and protest movement.