DE ZINKENDE RAFELRAND (THE SINKING FRINGE, 2025)

Winner of the Award for Best Documentary at the Amsterdams BuurtFilmFestival 2025.

Directed by Mirte Jepma

Duration: 56 minutes

In Dutch with English subtitles

Doors open CInema/ Bar: 19.00

Film starts: 19.30

Q&A: 20:30

Drinks in the Ventilator Bar: 21:00 - 23:00

About De Zinkende Rafelrand (The Sinking Fringe)

De Zinkende Rafelrand (The Sinking Fringe) is a documentary about the quirky Baaibuurt-West neighborhood, located in the southwest of Zeeburgereiland, between the Piet Hein Tunnel and Zuiderzeeweg, which is slated for demolition. For decades, this area has been home to tight-knit communities and creative workspaces, but starting January 1, 2025, the neighborhood is being 'developed.' This urban renewal project involves raising the sinking ground with seven meters of sand to prepare it for traditional housing construction. Hence, the neighborhood is also known as 'The Sinking Fringe.' This documentary of the same name, directed by housing researcher and activist Mirte Jepma, captures the stories, faces, and spaces of a neighborhood at risk of being buried under the sand. Through interviews, archival footage, and atmospheric shots, the film offers an intimate portrait of a hidden neighborhood and its residents, who live between hope and fear while fighting to secure their rightful place in Amsterdam's changing urban landscape.

About director Mirte Jepma and the filmmaking team

Mirte Jepma is a PhD researcher at the University of Amsterdam, focusing on housing injustices through the lens of grassroots resistance, lived experiences, and alternative self-organization. Her research equips her with critical tools to explore and advocate for housing rights in her hometown, Amsterdam. Using diverse media - writing, drawing and film - she amplifies the voices of those affected by housing injustice, working toward a more equitable future. In addition to Mirte, who directed the film, the crew of The Sinking Fringe includes cinematographer Alberto Morbelli, producer Marijn van der Eyden, editor Benjamin Vanderveen and impact producer Emiel Martens, with both Marijn and Benjamin having lived in Baaibuurt-West.

Social media

De Zinkende Rafelrand - https://www.instagram.com/de_zinkende_rafelrand/

Ventilator Cinema Instagram - www.instagram.com/ventilator_cinema

Ventilator Cinema Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@VentilatorCinema

Location information:
Ventilator cinema/ Bar at OT301 - on the 2nd floor 

Accessibility - Only stairs. No elevator available to get to the 2nd floor.
Address - Overtoom 301 Amsterdam

Bike parking - Due to having neighbors, no parking in front of the OT301 building entrance. 

Public transit -Tram stop ‘J.P. Heijestraat’ (Tram 1)

Car parking - Reade Overtoom (Paid per hour) or streetside.