Festival celebrates design visionaries
New Zealand’s annual cinematic celebration of architecture and design takes up residence at Christchurch’s Academy Gold Cinemas from Thursday night.
Now in its sixth year, the Resene Architecture & Design Film Festival aims to showcase the most acclaimed and current films on those subjects. This year’s 19-strong line-up includes documentaries on 20th century visionaries, fashion design, film and photography and urban futures.
Festival curator Clare Buchanan says the films have been grouped into themes, so audiences can ‘‘navigate towards stories they are most curious about’’. ‘‘This year we have 20thCentury Visionaries [featuring the work of famed architects including Saarinen and Neutra]; Crossing the Divide [exploring architecture and its impact on space]; Designing Happiness [some of the bravest design trailblazers]; and Urban Futures [considering innovative ways to develop communities, be it in town planning, access to gardens or better ways to do business].’’
Some of the featured films include:
Driving Dreams
Gianluca Migliarotti’s Turin-set tale is one for fans of the automotive design’s ‘‘Golden Age’’. It features the present design directors of Pininfarina, Zagato and FCA, as well as some of the industry’s ‘‘Godfathers’’ like Aldo Brovarone, as they reminisce about how the Italian city became an epicentre for innovation in the late-1940s.
Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future
Peter Rosen’s film examines the life of the Finnish-American modernist and architectural visionary, whose iconic buildings include National Historic Landmarks such as the celebrated St Louis’ Gateway Arch, the General Motors Technical Center in Michigan and New York’s TWA Flight Center at JFK International Airport. Narrated by Saarinen’s son Eric as he visits the sites of his late father’s work.
Roger D’Astous
Known as a flamboyant ‘‘starchitect’’ in the 1960s, the celebrated Canadian began as an apprentice to Frank Lloyd Wright. Through interviews with D’Astous’ sons, former work colleagues and homeowners, the film follows his professional journey from the early 1950s to the late 1990s.
Where Architects Live
Francesca Moltini’s survey offers up eight architects, eight houses and eight paradigms of contemporary living. Originally filmed for an exhibition of the same name at the Salone del Mobile in Milan, it promises an intriguing insight into the daily lives of leading designers like Shigeru Ban, Mario Bellini, David Chipperfield and Bijoy Jain,
Yoshi Yamamoto/ Dressmaker
Ngo The Chau takes a look at one of high fashion’s most influential and enigmatic designers. As well as shedding light on his artistic approach and creative working process, the film also offers up his musings on today’s fashion industry and modern society in general. ❚ The Christchurch-leg of the festival runs at Academy Gold Cinemas from June 29 to July 12. For more information, see resene.co.nz/filmfestival