The Ideals District

5 April 2023

A documentary about the creation of a community built on ideals.

Central question: is a group of 25 households who do not know each other capable of putting aside their individual interests for a common ideal?

On the site of a pear orchard in Serooskerke, a group of individuals, 25 households in total, want to build an ecological housing estate. A circularly built area with endless play space for children, where young and old live together, amid a food forest built according to the principles of permaculture.

All this will come about through CPO (Collective Private Ownership), where the group builds under its own management and is therefore responsible for cost increases of the project even through unexpected setbacks. It is in many ways a unique and admirable project in which some of the participants have, for nine years now, shown enormous perseverance and tenacity. Sometimes against the odds. They saw new members come and go, but continued to believe in this new society and hold on to their dream.

Documentary filmmaker Jacomien Kodde followed the project closely, camera in hand. She made a documentary about it, which will premiere at Cinema Middelburg on April 15. After this, the film is still programmed at Cinema Middelburg on April 21 and 26 and will be broadcast at Omroep Zeeland on April 22. Then at the end of December again at Omroep Zeeland and is expected to be broadcast once more at film by the sea.

Jacomien Kodde worked for more than ten years as an editor and later also director for various programmes, especially Vara, Vpro and RVU, before establishing herself as an independent documentary maker in Zeeland. She also edits and produces TV series for regional television and makes commissioned (corporate) films.

A selection of her work can be found at Vimeo.
Website Ecowijk De Woongaard

The Hurgronje Family Fund made a financial contribution to the making of this documentary.

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