The site where Eye Filmmuseum now stands was once a gallows field. In the Molenwijk district, ten identical honeycomb-shaped apartment blocks were built in the 1960s as a model neighbourhood for working-class families. And at the NDSM Wharf, where ship hulls were once welded together, artists now live and work in former industrial buildings. Amsterdam Noord is a place rich in stories. With Filmclubs Noord junior, Eye Filmmuseum and NurLimonade Media aim to make those stories visible through the eyes of the children growing up there today.
By Sylke de Heus12 June 2026
From summer 2026 onwards, after-school film clubs will launch in five neighbourhoods across Noord: around the NDSM area, in Molenwijk, in Central Noord around Mosveld, in De Banne and in the Waterlandplein district. Children aged 8 to 14 will spend twelve weeks working together to create a short film. They will explore their neighbourhoods, interview local residents and document the places and stories that matter to them.
During the first weeks, the children will work at Eye with archive footage from Amsterdam Noord. They will discover images that often remain hidden in the archive: the New Year's bonfires of Floradorp, a tradition that has nearly disappeared; ferry crossings over the IJ; and dockworkers at the NDSM Wharf, decades before the area was transformed.
These archival images provide the starting point. With those stories in mind, the children then head out into their neighbourhoods. They speak with grandparents, neighbours and shopkeepers, asking simple questions that often spark powerful conversations: What do you remember from the past? How has this place changed? What makes this neighbourhood what it is?
The filmmaking professionals of NurLimonade guide the production process, but the creative decisions are made by the children themselves. The film clubs bring together children from different backgrounds to create a shared story. In a district that continues to evolve, they offer a space where young people can meet, collaborate and learn about one another’s perspectives.
The clubs take place in familiar local venues such as branches of the OBA [public library], community centres and cultural venues including De Gele Pomp, places embedded in the neighbourhood that provide opportunities for connection, both for children and their families.
After twelve weeks, each film club will host a local premiere for parents, neighbours and community members. The films will then be screened together at the This Is Noord premiere at Eye Filmmuseum, on the big screen.
And that is not where their journey ends. The films will also be broadcast on SALTO and added to the Eye archive alongside the historical footage that inspired them. In this way, past and present stories of Noord come together in one place.
With Filmclubs Noord junior, Eye opens both its archive and its building to the local community. The museum becomes a place where heritage is shared, new stories are created and children can meet one another in a city district that is constantly changing. In doing so, the stories of today become the heritage of tomorrow.
View the registration dates and participating film clubs via this link (Dutch only).
This activity has been made possible in part by the Fonds voor Cultuurparticipatie, Cirrus Foundation, Het Amsterdamsche Fonds and Stichting Wijsneus, and is a project by Eye Filmmuseum and NurLimonade Media.
