SQUAT THE WORLD

The Sand Island Story

1981

This short documentary chronicles a four-month period between 1979 and 1980 when residents of Hawaii's Sand Island "squatter" community attempted to resist eviction from the Honolulu shoreline - resulting in displacement, arrests, and the destruction of a community.

Schade, daß Beton nicht brennt

1981

A documentary about the clashes between squatters and the police in Berlin in early 1981. Despite the absence of commentary, this is an openly partisan film that aims less for political analysis than for an up-close description of the situation and mood.

Hotel Mokum

2024

Pak Mokum Terug is the name of a group of Amsterdam activists that refuse to accept that the basic right to housing no longer appears to apply. The group’s name means “Take Back Amsterdam,” Mokum being the traditional nickname for a capital city in which today, for more and more people, a home is becoming unaffordable. Against this background, Hotel Mokum reports on the squatting of a dilapidated hotel in the city center, narrated in the voice of a fictitious activist.

Kreuzberg gehört uns

1972

With a critical eye, the film wanders through the streets of Kreuzberg and captures the voices of workers who report on their difficult working conditions and the lack of kindergartens. The film is the result of a collaboration between DFFB students and the Kreuzberg-Nord neighborhood group. It provides interesting insights into the struggles of the neighborhood group with the Senate for funds and rooms to accommodate the children.

How to Squash a Squat

1989

1989, New York City's Alphabet City and East Village. A year after the Tompkins Square Park Riot, squatters and their community allies try to stop the demolition of their building after an arson. Police forces occupy the neighborhood while the demolition continues. A portrait of an East Village that is no more. An homage to the voices and sounds of a neighborhood before its gentrification.

Squatters: The Other Philadelphia Story

1984

Discusses the squatters movement, made up of people who live in abandoned houses through necessity and in order to force change in housing policy. Focuses on Philadelphia, where Gloria Giles becomes a leader and gains a national reputation.

Amandastraße 73

1981

Short-documentary about the squat at Amandastraße 73 in Hamburg.

Fever Dream Jan10

2024

The Netherlands, a bastion of capitalism, has struggled with unprecedented housing crises since 2018. This brings a rise of different ideologies that challenge the dominant status quo. In the city of Nijmegen, an anarchist collective JAN10 battles the ongoing housing crisis by squatting empty buildings, which poses a threat to the established capitalist interests.

In een tank kun je niet wonen

Invalid Date

A documentary about “1980” in Amsterdam, by Jan Groen and Hanneke Willemse Documentary originally recorded on super 8 about the squatters' movement in Amsterdam

To wait or provoke

2018

Two If by Sea

1996

Frank O'Brien, a petty thief, and his 7-year-long girlfriend Roz want to put an end to their unsteady lifestyle and just do that last job, which involves stealing a valuable painting. Frank takes Roz to an island on the coast of New England, where he wants to sell the painting and also hopes that their sagging relationship will get a positive push back up. Not everything goes as planned.

In the Middle of the Night

1984

Benny and Arnold are homeless and along with others living on Nørrebro in Copenhagen. The police is set to clear the building they squat in, but on the night of the forced eviction, local acid head Spacy jumps from the sixth floor.

Los bárbaros

2025

In the year of the crisis, four young people attempt to make a home by squatting in an unfinished building – a paradoxical limbo amid the real-estate bubble, where they willingly remain on the fringes of it all.

Scarfies

1999

This dark comedy is set in Dunedin, New Zealand. A university student finds an old "abandoned" house and proceeds to invite other students to share. It even has running electricity. But what is the catch?

Cosmopolis

2012

Riding across Manhattan in a stretch limo during a riot in order to get a haircut, a 28-year-old billionaire asset manager's life begins to crumble.