The Interplay of Place and Nostalgia in Contemporary Migratory European Cinema

Nostalgia is a quintessential part of a migratory experience. Displaced people, living often in the margins of the host country, feeling as an ‘outsider’ or subordinate, are deterred from developing deep human relationships, and express their emotional state. Due to the increase of relocated populations in Europe, the representation of migrant identities has assumed a prominent position in recent cinematic traditions. This project seeks to investigate the complex relationship between place and nostalgia in defining cinematic identities in contemporary European cinema. As part of this practice-based project, a screenplay and a docu-fiction film are produced, aiming to bring attention to nostalgia as a consequence of displacement; underpin its pluralistic nature and impact on identity; and allow migrants to express their otherwise internalised feeling of nostalgia. The practical component also aims to challenge traditional creative strategies that have been used to explore the topic by proposing innovative filmmaking techniques that explore the nostalgic condition in an honest and comprehensive manner.