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With its twenty-plus floors, the Chicagoblok high rise in Antwerp has a bad reputation in the city. The filmmaker follows the colourful residents from the elevator into their apartments and lives.
With its twenty-plus floors, the Chicagoblok high rise in Antwerp has a bad reputation in the city. But the residents think quite differently about it. The retired Louis has lived here for three years with his Thai wife. He is not proud of his place, but he mingles quite nicely with the other people. After his wife had left him, Rudi ended up in this council housing project. 'I'm surrounded by negroes. They live at night and make a racket.' Single Sandra is ashamed of her neighbourhood and longingly awaits the arrival of her new, Moroccan husband, whom she found on the Internet. African Yves is proud of his block of flats. He feels safe and does not understand the criticism. Yassin, too, calls it a 'chill' neighbourhood. New resident Edith is delighted: 'I'm in heaven!' Finally, she feels at home. The filmmaker follows the residents from the elevator into their apartments and also registers life around the block. Fanatical kids that play soccer, the arrival of the ice-cream man and rapping friends in the night air.

Credits

Sound editing
Production company
Holland Harbour Productions
TV company
IKON TV
Distributor NL
Cinema Delicatessen

Title: Chicagoblok - Verhalen uit de lift
Year: 2008
Duration : 1 hour, 5 minutes
Category: Long Documentary
Edition: NFF 2008

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