Haven tells the coming of age story of a boy in a rapidly changing environment, based on memories of surroundings that no longer exist. Sem Langendijk (NL) witnessed the uprooting effects of gentrification during his upbringing in the periphery of Amsterdam. After the neighborhood transformed into a waterfront, Langendijk realized he lost his connection to the place he lived in for nearly thirty years.
This body of work is the result of a long-term research project into shifting demographics, waterfront development and the dynamics of gentrification. Due to social inequality and urbanization, people are continuously driven to relocate, particularly within post-industrial cities. Haven brings together the environments of different port cities in a documentary fiction, highlighting the transformation of disused docklands and the communities that reside there.