This publication zooms in on the part cinema has played in urban development between 1920 and 1980. Rotterdam acts as an inspiring example, as observed from an international perspective. This city has its very own history in film. Besides providing the backdrop for a variety of feature films and avant-garde classics, Cinematic Rotterdam describes how the city has established and maintained its identity through thousands of promotional and educational films and television programmes. This diverse collection of filmed material presents an audiovisual map of Rotterdam's emergence as a modern city. Written by film scholar Floris Paalman, Cinematic Rotterdam is not only a thorough study of the audiovisual history of Rotterdam but is more especially a conceptual exploration of a hidden dimension of the city itself. Besides being an exhaustive reference work for policymakers, clients, producers and researchers in architecture, media and social studies, this overview makes a fascinating visual guide for anyone interested in looking at the city of Rotterdam from a different angle.