Concrete Heart Land

Our film charts the struggles of the local community to keep their homes, stay living in the area, and maintain communal benefits in the face of extreme development pressures. Throughout the film we hear the community engaging in some of the crucial battles with elected officials, planners and barristers, in municipal planning meetings, public enquiries and interviews. – Steven Ball and Rastko Novaković, September 2016

Filmmakers Steven Ball and Rastko Novaković chronicle the emptying of the Heygate Estate using audio and visual material gathered between 2002-2013. Video shot in 2012 and 2013 make visible the final phases of the decampment of residents, full of hoarding, graffiti and boarded up windows alongside more intimate views of interiors of some residents’ flats. Audio recordings serve as testimony as to the impact on individuals and reactions to the redevelopment.

The film has been screened locally and featured as part of UCL’s Urban Lab series in October 2014 accompanied by a Q&A with the directors. The film, lasting 25minutes, is freely available to watch in full through the Concrete Heart Land website.