As seen at recent film festivals, the latest wave of architecture documentaries capture underappreciated histories
Architectural documentaries are hybrids, neither essential design tools nor pure entertainment. It is possible to spend a career in architecture and never watch any, though many architects find themselves intrigued when they do. The genre encompasses glibly narrated didactic monstrosities, tedious compilations of badly lit buildings and wooden interviews, plus shameless hagiographies intended to consolidate reputations. Finely conceived and professionally crafted films do exist, but they are the exception rather than the rule. At their best, the strongest architectural documentaries contribute to knowledge of the built environment and confirm moving images deserve a seat at the table next to traditional media—plans, renderings, photographs, and documents—employed in making and understanding buildings.
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The Architecture and Design Film Festival (ADFF), based in New York and founded by architect Kyle Bergmann screens its programs at the Village East by Angelika on Second Avenue and today organizes festivals in Chicago, Toronto, Vancouver, Los Angeles, and Mumbai. While its Dutch counterpart is largely funded by government coffers, ADFF survives in the increasingly tough U.S. theatrical exhibition environment through ticket sales, advertisements, and donations. (Note: AN is a media partner for ADFF.)
Whereas shorts made by first-time filmmakers play a key role at AFFR, ADFF emphasizes feature-length films. Although I have seen architects and “design-adjacent” moviegoers fill New York screenings to capacity, I also have sat in theaters in its Los Angeles iteration with intimate audiences small enough to fit around a dinner table.
What follows are some of the stand-out offerings from last fall’s festival season.