That morning, a few fishing vans are parked on the Braek dyke. A concrete strip of 6 kilometers in the middle of the waves, on which the waves throw themselves with a crash. On one side, there is the ore basin of the port and, on the other, the sea as far as the eye can see. It is the most emblematic location for filming taking place in Dunkirk, in the North. “I am asked for this decor half the time! It’s the industrial and graphic atmosphere that pleases”, exclaims Muriel Debaene, head of the city’s cinema unit.
In the political series black baron, broadcast on Canal+, a car crosses the dike at full speed. For the blockbuster Dunkirk (2017), a Spitfire plane lands there. Christopher Nolan’s film revealed the city to the eyes of the whole world, “by doing the best publicity possible for Dunkirk”, assures Fabien Jankowiak, head of the reception desk for filming at Pictanovo, an association responsible for developing the image sector in Hauts-de-France. The notoriety of the film has generated many economic benefits for the city, estimated at 9 million euros by the National Cinema Center.
Economic benefits
In this competition to attract film shoots, Dunkirk (86,000 inhabitants) must
come to terms with its great rival. 273 kilometers further south, located in the Seine estuary, Le Havre (170,000 inhabitants) is inseparable from its port, leader in France in terms of container traffic. As for Dunkirk, it is “the harbor setting and our modern city center which are the most requested by the directors who come here”, assures Fabienne Delafosse, assistant to the culture of the city. A city center with wide avenues, rebuilt by the architect Auguste Perret. Le Havre can also be proud, as a business card, of its eponymous feature film, directed by Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki. A work that won the International Critics Prize at Cannes in 2011.
If Dunkirk and Le Havre will not shine on the Croisette this year, the two cities will have other opportunities to showcase their charm by the end of the year. The comedy choir of rockers, with Mathilde Seigner, is inspired by the true story of a Dunkirk choir. Peter and Joan, film adapted by Clémentine Célarié from a novel by Guy de Maupassant, will include a few scenes shot in the Normandy town.
In the wake of Kaurismäki’s feature film, Le Havre opened, in 2011, an office dedicated to the seventh art within the municipal team. “We realized that we had to structure ourselves to meet the growing demands of producers,” explains Fabienne Delafosse. Three years later, Dunkirk followed suit after the election as mayor of the various left Patrice Vergriete. Its goal ? Restore the image of the city and diversify its economy by facilitating the production of short and feature films on its soil.
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