The Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF), the country's premier film festival devoted to the humanistic side of architecture & design, will launch its 11th season at Cinepolis Chelsea in New York from October 16-20, 2019.  

Four films have already been confirmed including the U.S. Premiere of City Dreamers - one of the most exciting documentaries about urban planning since Jane Jacobs: Battle of the City) and NY Premiere of Gateways to New York - about the great Swiss engineer who created modern icons in New York with his visionary suspension bridges).

The Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) – the largest film festival devoted to the creative spirit that drives architecture and design – will launch its 11th season in New York this October. 

ADFF:NY is the festival’s anchor event that takes place during Archtober – New York City’s Architecture & Design month – with a preview event (Short Films Walk) in SoHo’s Design District on October 2 and five-day festival at Cinépolis Chelsea from October 16-20. 

With more than 25 films, filmmaker Q&As, panel discussions with high-profile speakers and interactive installations, ADFF creates an opportunity to educate, entertain, and engage all types of people who are excited about architecture and design. 

The festival will then head to Vancouver and Toronto for the first time, followed by DC, LA and New Orleans with other satellite events throughout the year. 

Images from ADFF 2016 NY

Film Highlights:

City Dreamers (U.S. Premiere) – Phyllis Lambert, Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander and Denise Scott Brown are four trailblazing architects who became accustomed to being the only woman in the room. Through original interviews, archival material and stunning cinematography, documentary filmmaker Joseph Hillel uncovers how each of these strong, independent thinkers has shaped the cities we live and work in. 

Gateways to New York (NY Premiere) – Director Martin Witz tells the story about the great Swiss structural engineer Othmar H. Ammann, who emigrated to New York in 1904 and whose work (including the George Washington, Bayonne, Triborough, Bronx Whitestone, Throgs Neck and Verrazano-Narrows bridges) redefined the art of bridge building in America. 

Cover of Gateways to New York

The Human Shelter (NY Premiere) – The film is an epic, poetic journey investigating how we, as human beings, design and build our homes. Director Boris Bertran explores the concept of “home,” and how humans express themselves creatively within that sacred space, whether it’s a lagoon settlement in Lagos, a refugee camp in Iraq or a six square-meter dwelling in Tokyo. 

A Poetics of Living (NY Premiere) – On the shore of the Pacific Ocean in Chile, a young architect, who narrates this contemplative film, returns to the landscapes that are close to her heart. She guides us on an architectural exploration of Ciudad Abierta (The Open City) to reveal a collaboration of architects and artists where habitable space becomes poetic concept.

Cover of The Human Shelter

The Architecture & Design Film Festival, celebrates the unique creative spirit that drives architecture and design. With a curated selection of films, events and panel discussions, ADFF creates an opportunity to entertain, engage and educate all types of people who are excited about architecture and design. 

With well-attended screenings, legendary panelists, vibrant discussions and events in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, it has grown into the nation’s largest film festival devoted to the subject. The ADFF also programs for international film festivals as well as cultural institutions and private venues.

ADFF facts:

Who: Founder & Director of the Architecture & Design Film Festival, Kyle Bergman, Directors such as Joseph Hillel, Boris Bertran and Martin Witz, Legendary architects including Phyllis Lambert
When: October 16-20, 2019
Where: Cinépolis Chelsea (260 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011)

All images courtesy of ADFF

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