Cinematic approach to ‘Port city futures’

As part of the Port City Futures research programme, Carola Hein and Paolo De Martino (Architecture) will make a film in collaboration with artist and filmmaker Ollie Palmer. The film will feature interviews with key players in Naples, Rotterdam, and Dunkirk together with future development scenarios. The film will provide a view into evolving port-city region relationships. NWO KIEM awarded a subsidy of €15.000,- to make the project a reality.

The film will be shown in various locations to the general public—including at the Learning Centre in Dunkirk. Hein and De Martino will work closely together with the Learning Centre and other institutions to assess the film’s impact.

Port City Futures

Ports, large industrial complexes, urban territories and their neighbouring regions-share physical spaces, natural ecosystems, and social connections. To address climate change, the energy transition, changing technologies and the transformation of work conditions and economies, port-city regions need new regional collaboration and spatial reconceptualization. Interviews with local professionals from port authorities, municipalities, other institutions and citizens-demonstrate a lack of knowledge of each other’s needs and interests and a lack of shared values for future development. To help diverse stakeholders understand complex port-city regions and envision future spaces and forms of living together, this project would investigate current challenges faced by port-city regions, explore alternative spatial scenarios and produce an informative artistic film, which would make the findings accessible to a diverse public. The project posits that we need novel creative approaches to engage large non-professional audiences in the ongoing transitions. The “Port City Futures” research agenda is developed in collaboration with the LDE Center Metropolis and Mainport.