The City of Eindhoven has treated its citizens to a “Een kei fijne film” (“A really fine film”), a ten-minute, action-filled adventure that brings the viewer face-to-face with its heroes of high-tech, design, sport, urban culture and social cohesion. Ostensibly to mark the beginning of the festive season, the film is a tribute to the people, places, the strong sense of collaboration and the abiding sense of fun that make up the city. It is also a prime example of the innovative tools that cities are devising to market themselves.
Produced by Eindhoven365, the marketing organisation for Eindhoven, the film had a creative and production team that included Daan Melis and Cutjongens, and features the music of Peter Pan Speedrock
(See also: Thanks to Eindhoven365, this city is on the world map).
Edwin Blok – van Enck, Head of Social at Eindhoven365, says the idea germinated about a year ago when Melis suggested embarking on a project to honour the people of Eindhoven. “A strong creative process followed, which resulted in this idea and a movie script”.
Deciding whom to feature in the film entailed working through news reports, and gathering information from colleagues and various stakeholders, in order to identify people and organisations who had done something special for Eindhoven this year. The suggestions were combined, and resulted in a list of about twenty-five people – all of whom agreed to be part of the project.
“In the end, we had a very wide and deep spread of people and organisations, some of whom are well known and some perhaps lesser known. This shows what the energy of Eindhoven actually is, and what Eindhoven as a city is.”
(See also: Eindhoven beats Barcelona, to win the world title “Place brand of the year”).
Eindhoven mayor John Jorritsma plays himself, tongue firmly in cheek and adding to the hilarity. “He was very enthusiastic and energetic about the project, and it took only a few minutes for him to say he is on board”.
Blok – van Enck says the film gives a snapshot of how the city works as a community and reflects some of the many nationalities in Eindhoven – he says there are up to 150 countries represented in the city. “We expect that Eindhoven’s identity as an international base will grow even more. We will become even more of a home ground for other nationalities to be part of our community. We know how to adopt and adapt to different kinds of cultures. And we also give something – we share the energy of our city with our citizens, which they take with them if they move on”.
(Listen to the interview with Edwin Blok – van Enck, from Eindhoven365)
The main location for the film is the inner city; as Blok – van Enck explains, “we wanted to show the flow and energy in the inner city”. The other locations emerged organically because of the heroes being featured in their own surroundings. These include Brainport Industries Campus, TU/e, the High Tech Campus, PSV Stadium and the Pieter van den Hoogenband Swim Centre.
His favourite aspect of the film is in the opening scenes, where actor Steye van Dam is under pressure to come up with a plan. “I like the energy he shows, in thinking hard about a plan for the mayor, and reaching out for help. That is how we work in Eindhoven – when we have a challenge, we work with our networks, to see how we can solve things together”.
These scenes are also packed with humour, which is typical of the city. “It shows that this is a fun – “kei gezellige” – city. We know how to have a good laugh together. This joy creates new energy to do new things. We show in the movie that we are very serious people, but also that we know how to have fun, with all our inhabitants.”
(See also: Let there be vibes, let there be light… The holiday season starts in Eindhoven
(Or just watch the film here:)
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