25th October 2023, Mumbai: Renowned filmmaker Steve McQueen, recognized for his acclaimed film “12 Years a Slave,” is shedding light on our contemporary world by delving into history. His latest venture, a four-hour documentary titled “Occupied City,” provides profound insights into the past and present. Here’s a comprehensive guide to this compelling documentary.
Exploring ‘Occupied City’: A Deep Dive into Steve McQueen’s Documentary
McQueen draws comparisons between how society behaved in the early 1940s as the Nazi party rose to power and the growth of far-right movements in the twenty-first century in this documentary. The documentary will be released in theaters in the United States on December 25th, thanks to the popular production company A24.
Amsterdam’s Influence: The Inspiration Behind Steve McQueen’s ‘Occupied City
Although McQueen was born in the United Kingdom, he now resides in Amsterdam, which informed his creation of Occus collecting historical footage for Occupied City. While he was working on this documentary, his wife, novelist and historian Bianca Stigter, was working on Atlas of an Occupied City (Amsterdam 1940-1945). McQueen told IndieWire that he never expected to work on a project with his wife, but the subject came up during their chats.
He went on speaking, “With the rise of the far right being very vocal and given an actual platform, it’s being legitimized. I think when you get the images of what’s happening now and the actual stories of the past and put them together, it makes us question everything.”
McQueen revealed he didn’t intend for “Occupied City” to be lengthy, but the four-hour duration was necessary to honor the subject. Fans are familiar with his ambitious work, like the 2020 series “Small Axe,” delving into the lives of West Indian immigrants in London.pied City. According to Steve in an interview with Deadline, “When I first came to Amsterdam — not living in an occupied country growing up in London — what was very strange for me was walking around and seeing all these places that had this history behind it, which had to do with the Nazification of the Netherlands, walking down a street and seeing a little statue and finding out that this is where 15 people were gathered up and executed because someone had assassinated a German soldier was quite shocking for me. So, therefore, the approach [of the film] had to happen somehow in the now.”
Set for a December 25th Release in US Theaters, ‘Occupied City’ Offers a Reflective Glimpse into the Past and Present, Prompting Deep Contemplation on Our World. Steve McQueen Persists in Crafting Impactful Films, Illuminating Urgent Social Issues.
By Vaishnavi Rastogi