Occupied City

{{Infobox film

| image = Occupied_city_poster.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| based_on = {{Based on|Atlas of an Occupied City, Amsterdam 1940–1945|Bianca Stigter{{cite web|url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/f/occupied-city/|title=OCCUPIED CITY|work=Festival de Cannes|accessdate=May 9, 2023}}}}

| producer = {{Plainlist|

Steve McQueen{{Cite web |last=Gleiberman |first=Owen |date=17 May 2023 |title='Occupied City' Review: Steve McQueen's Holocaust Documentary Is a Trial to Sit Through: Four Hours Long But Only an Inch Deep |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/occupied-city-review-steve-mcqueen-1235614539/ |website=Variety}}
Bianca Stigter
Anna Smith-Tenser
Floor Onrust

}}

| narrator = Melanie Hyams (EN), Carice van Houten (NL)

| cinematography = Lennert Hillege

| editing = Xander Nijsten

| music = Oliver Coates

| studio = {{Plainlist|

A24{{Cite web |title=Occupied City |url=https://cineuropa.org/en/film/442404/ |access-date=21 May 2023 |website=Cineuropa}}
Regency Enterprises
Film4
Lammas Park
Family Affair Films

}}

| distributor = {{Plainlist|

A24 (United States)
September Film (Netherlands){{Cite web |date=14 April 2023 |title=Zes films van September Film geselecteerd voor Cannes Film Festival 2023 |trans-title=Six films by September Film selected for the 2023 Cannes Film Festival |url=https://fonkmagazine.nl/artikelen/prijzen/zes-films-van-september-film-geselecteerd-voor-cannes-film-festival-2023-63901.html |website=Fonk Magazine}}
Modern Films (United Kingdom){{Cite web |date=31 October 2023|last=Leffler|first=Rebecca |title=mk2 Films boards Steve McQueen's Occupied City (exclusive) |url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/mk2-films-boards-steve-mcqueens-occupied-city-exclusive/5187392.article |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=Screen Daily}}

}}

| released = {{Film date|df=yes|2023|5|17|Cannes|ref1={{Cite web |date=10 May 2023 |title=The Screenings Guide of the 76th Festival de Cannes |url=https://cdn-medias.festival-cannes.com/uploads/2023/05/2023_cannes_horaires_web-2.pdf |website=Cannes Film Festival |page=3}}|2023|11|30|Netherlands|2023|12|25|United States|2024|2|9|United Kingdom}}

| runtime = 266 minutes{{Cite web |date=February 5, 2024|title=Occupied City (12A) |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/occupied-city-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0xmde4otyz|access-date=February 5, 2024 |website=BBFC}}

| country = {{Plainlist|

United Kingdom{{Cite web |last=Halligan |first=Fionnuala |date=17 May 2023 |title='Occupied City': Cannes Review |url=https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/occupied-city-cannes-review/5182060.article |website=Screen Daily}}
Netherlands
United States

}}

| language = English

| budget =

| gross = $152,934{{cite web|url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Occupied-City-(2023-Netherlands)#tab=summary|title=Occupied City (2023)|website=The Numbers|access-date=October 13, 2024}}

}}

Occupied City is a 2023 documentary film directed and produced by Steve McQueen and based on the book Atlas of an Occupied City, Amsterdam 1940–1945 by Bianca Stigter.{{cite book |last1=Stigter |first1=Bianca |author-link1= Bianca Stigter | date=2019 |title=Atlas van een bezette stad: Amsterdam 1940–1945 |location=Amsterdam |publisher=Atlas Contact |isbn=9789045029573}} The film features narration by Melanie Hyams, describing the occupation of the Netherlands by Nazi Germany, juxtaposed against footage of modern-day Amsterdam echoing much of the narration. The film is a co-production between the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and the United States. It had its world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival on 17 May 2023 as a special screening, where it competed for the L'Œil d'or.{{Cite web |title=Les documentaires à Cannes, découvrez la Sélection 2023 de L'Œil d'or |url=https://loeildor.scam.fr/actualites-ressources/les-documentaires-a-cannes-decouvrez-la-selection-2023-de-loeil-dor/ |website=loeildor.scam.fr |date=12 May 2023 |language=fr}} It was released by A24 in the United States on 25 December 2023 and in the United Kingdom/Ireland on 9 February 2024.

Production

In January 2022, it was confirmed that Steve McQueen would direct and produce the film about Amsterdam under Nazi occupation during World War II, with A24 and New Regency handling the domestic and international and both co-financing. Film4 also provided co-financing and retains United Kingdom linear television rights.{{Cite web|title=A24 & New Regency Aboard For Steve McQueen WWII Documentary Occupied City|url=https://deadline.com/2022/01/steve-mcqueen-film-a24-new-regency-occupied-city-documentary-world-war-two-1234905955/|last=Wiseman|first=Andreas|date=2022-01-07|website=Deadline|language=en|access-date=2022-01-07}}

McQueen said that there is a 36-hour version of the documentary and that he shot everything that is covered in the book Atlas of an Occupied City, Amsterdam 1940–1945 by Bianca Stigter.{{Cite web |last=Coyle |first=Jake |date=17 May 2023 |title=In Steve McQueen's 4-hour Cannes entry 'Occupied City,' Holocaust past meets Amsterdam present |url=https://apnews.com/article/cannes-steve-mcqueen-occupied-city-documentary-fc466e5c2fbf76550cd27100563ec315 |website=Associated Press}}

Release

The film premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival as a special screening on 17 May 2023.{{Cite web |date=2023-04-13 |title=Steve McQueen's 'Occupied City' will premiere at Cannes |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/steve-mcqueen-occupied-city-cannes-film-festival/ |access-date=2023-04-13 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}} It also screened at the 50th Telluride Film Festival on 31 August 2023.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2023/film/awards/telluride-lineup-the-bikeriders-rustin-saltburn-1235707476/|title=Telluride Lineup Includes World Premieres of 'Saltburn,' 'The Bikeriders' and 'Rustin' With Tributes for Yorgos Lanthimos and Wim Wenders|website=Variety|first=Clayton|last=Davis|date=August 30, 2023|access-date=August 30, 2023}}{{cite web|url=http://telluridecms-production.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/pdfs/50th-TFF-program-guide-FINAL.pdf|title=Program Guide|website=Telluride Film Festival|access-date=August 30, 2023}}

A24 will release the film in North America and New Regency will release it internationally,{{Cite web |last=Ravindran |first=Manoru |date=16 May 2023 |title=Steve McQueen on His 4-Hour Documentary Epic 'Occupied City' and How It's Informing His Apple TV+ Movie 'Blitz' |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/global/steve-mcqueen-blitz-occupied-city-cannes-1235614183/ |website=Variety}} while September Film will release it in the Netherlands. The film was released in the United States on 25 December 2023 {{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/video/occupied-city-steve-mcqueen-documentary-trailer-debut/ |title=Watch Trailer For Steve McQueen's 'Occupied City': Epic Doc On Nazi Campaign Against Amsterdam's Jews, Seen From Present Day |last=Carey |first=Matthew |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=October 24, 2023 |access-date=October 24, 2023}} and in the United Kingdom and Ireland on 9 February 2024 through Modern Films, with a nationwide live Q&A from The Barbican Centre in London.

Reception

=Critical response=

The review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reported an approval rating of 65% based on 37 reviews with an average rating of 6.9/10. The website's critics consensus reads, "Occupied City is an impressively ambitious attempt to connect the past with the present, although its repetitive approach and overwhelming length will be too much for many viewers."{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes |id=occupied_city|type=movie |access-date=12 January 2024}} Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 77 out of 100 based on 14 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".{{cite web |title=Occupied City Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/occupied-city |website=Metacritic |access-date=29 December 2023}}

Reviewing the film following its Cannes premiere, Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian called it a "monumental film" that "allows its emotional implication to amass over its running time."{{cite news|last=Bradshaw|first=Peter|author-link=Peter Bradshaw|date=May 17, 2023|title=Occupied City review – Steve McQueen's moving meditation on wartime Amsterdam|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2023/may/17/occupied-city-review-steve-mcqueens-moving-meditation-on-wartime-amsterdam|newspaper=The Guardian|access-date=17 May 2023}}

Accolades

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
Year ! Award / Film Festival ! Category ! Recipient(s) ! Result ! class="unsortable"\| {{Abbr\|Ref.\|Reference(s)}}
2023 ! Cannes Film Festival \| L'Œil d'or \| Steve McQueen \| {{nom}} \|
2023 ! British Independent Film Awards \| Best Documentary \| Steve McQueen \| {{nom}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

Year

! Award / Film Festival

! Category

! Recipient(s)

! Result

! class="unsortable"| {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference(s)}}

2023

! Cannes Film Festival

| L'Œil d'or

| Steve McQueen

| {{nom}}