Kicking off in NYC and then moving across North America with a special stop in Mumbai, the 16th season of The Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) will deliver a rich program of world premieres that touch topics and locations that are meaningful to us all. The carefully curated program films are selected both for their cinematic and narrative excellence exploring topics of sustainability, culture and the power of space — both personal and public.
For New York, the festival will return to its home at the iconic Village East by Angelika, running from September 25-28th. Highlights include the opening night premiere of Stardust: The Story of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown as well as films about boldface icons that include Carlo Scarpa, Eileen Gray, Rudolph Schindler, Thom Mayne, Robin Donaldson, Winy Maas of MVRVD, Laurie Olin, and others. In addition, the festival will present films exploring housing, gentrification, biomimicry, and modernism in New England. The closing night film — a U.S. premiere — will be announced shortly.
“Every year, I feel so proud of the films included in the festival. We curate them from hundreds of serious films submitted from around the world, and it is always hard to make the final selection. I love stepping back to reflect on the common themes that rise to the surface and the powerful ways that film and architecture come together to tell a story,” says ADFF Founder & Director, Kyle Bergman. “I feel particularly excited about our upcoming 2024-2025 season as it features strong female protagonists and filmmakers, alongside thought-provoking films addressing housing, gentrification, urbanism, and environmental concerns.”
Preview two of the featured screenings below, and see the full schedule here.
The Pavilion On The Water
2023 / Italy / US Premiere
Directors: Stefano Croci, Silvia Siberini
The documentary feature film The Pavilion On The Water is a cinematic journey into the world of Venetian architect Carlo Scarpa and his passion for Japanese culture. Japan, to him, was an inspirational universe but also the place where he eventually died in 1978, at the height of his career, while retracing the steps of wandering poet Matsuo Bashō.
Through the words of Japanese philosopher Ryosuke Ōhashi, the film unfolds and quests after the sense of beauty. It is the possibility of reflecting on this matter that brings together Scarpa’s work and Japanese traditional aesthetic.
Co-presented by Molteni
Sitting Still
2024 / USA / World Premiere
Director: Gina Angelone
While you may not know his name, chances are you know his work. Laurie Olin is responsible for many of the most iconic and beloved parks, gardens and public spaces in the country, including the Getty Center Gardens, Battery Park City, Columbus Circle, the National Gallery of Art Sculpture Garden, the Washington Monument grounds, Bryant park, Mission Bay and Independence Mall, to name only a few. His imprint on cityscapes extends to many more public spaces he’s created all over the world.
Sitting Still portrays this irreverent urban warrior and his profoundly social vision. The telling of Laurie Olin’s story is not conventional. Rather, it is a portrait of an artist told through a prism of concerns which have defined his life’s work: urbanization and a lost connection to nature, economic marginalization, and the grave importance of humanity in design. Sitting Still invites the voices of other architectural luminaries into the conversation, including Frank Gehry, Billie Tsien and Walter Hood, among others.
Like what you see? Get it first with a subscription to aspire design and home magazine.