Film and Architecture: Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam

Since October 5, the Architecture Film Festival has been taking place in Rotterdam - for the 14th time. The world's largest film festival on the subject of urban development and the built environment offers a diverse supporting program and is presented this year under the theme "Freeze Frame".

Whether in short films, documentaries or feature films, this special event will focus on the relationship between film, architecture and the city in a variety of ways. After all, film is one of the most accessible media and helps to understand the complexity of architecture and urban planning. Discussions and debates are also part of this event, which is aimed at architects as well as city lovers, film fans and students. The numerous films will be shown at both the Zuidplein Theater and the LantarenVenster cinema in Rotterdam.

Opening film: Best in the World

The Architecture Film Festival opens with the world premiere of "Best in the World" by Hans Christian Post. This impressive documentary takes a look behind the dazzling facade of Copenhagen and shows the metropolis from a new perspective. Although the Danish capital has been named "Most Livable City in the World" several times, the problem of gentrification is increasingly coming to the fore. This is because while some parts of the city are becoming more and more developed, other regions - such as the island of Lolland - are being neglected more and more. This quickly creates social inequality. The film "Best in the World" illuminates this problem of the city of Copenhagen from a variety of angles and lets urban planner Jan Gehl and architect Charles Bessard, among others, have their say.

Other exciting films are also part of the extensive program, such as the film "Crooked Lines of Beauty" by Sven Blume. The film focuses on the life of the Swedish architect Carl Nyrén. In addition, "Robin Hood Gardens" by Thomas Beyer and Adrian Dorschner focuses on the London housing estate of the same name by Alison and Peter Smithson, which was demolished in 2017 despite major protests. 

For those who can't decide among the wide selection of screenings, there will be a "best-of" on the last day of the festival (October 09). 
 

What:  Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam
When: 05-10 October
Where: LantarenVenster & Theater Zuidplein Rotterdam