The birth of cinema parallels industrial urbanization. This edited collection examines how the film cultures of Belarus, Poland, and Ukraine have engaged with the built environment. Across political upheavals and shifting borders, filmmakers have documented, interpreted, and imagined the evolution of urban life.

From Soviet-era planned cities to post-Socialist urban renewal, and from industrial decline to the impact of war on public space, the essays in this volume uncover the role of cinema in constructing—and contesting—visions of urban life. How have films documented social change and revolution, engaged with histories of migration and displacement, and dreamed up alternative urban futures?