Visuals of present-day Amsterdam are used as a backdrop to the narration about the city’s harrowing past.
When did you first discuss the idea of turning Bianca’s book [Atlas Of An Occupied City, Amsterdam 1940-1945 — a non-fiction compilation of stories of people living in Amsterdam under Nazi occupation] into a film?
Steve McQueen: There were two starting points. One was obviously the book. The other one was the whole idea of living with ghosts. I’ve lived in Amsterdam for nearly 28 years, and I always thought there was another narrative going on at the same time. It’s a 17th-century city. The buildings are still intact from that time — and were during the Second World War.