ZEEMANSHUIS
EEN OUD BRUIN CAFÉ

Established in 1990, Zeemanshuis (sailors' bar) has been the local bar for dockworkers, English and Danish fishermen in Scheveningen (Netherlands). The heart of this ethnographic film is the people frequenting this place they call a "living room", its manager Mark, its owners Sonja and Dick, and their team. Anchored in the socio-economic history and development of The Hague’s seashore, Zeemanshuis reveals to be a traditional institution that’s been continuously adapting to its changing environment.

​Seashores have been central in the urban-rural divide of societies, historically prone to urban development and private extra-local investments fuelled by the boom of the tourism industry since the 1950s. Residents have seen their environment mutate to satisfy the needs of seasonal visitors, but more recently to answer a wave of ruralisation constituted by urbanites in search of more pastoral horizons. Scheveningen, historical fishing town in South Netherlands, has been undergoing significant changes due to its gentrification.

This ethnographic documentary film was produced, filmed, and edited in 2023 by Guillaume Bury and Muriel Kruize.

It was made possible by the participation of Zeemanshuis' marvellous team and their family of customers.