Stay Home: Watch This - West Coast Modern League

Instead of going out, stay home and watch this instead. As we shelter right now to protect ourselves and the more vulnerable in our communities, we have started to scour the web for feature length documentaries, short films, interviews, and recorded talks. Some are free, for rent, or for purchase, but the whole collection is intended to all be viewable online and to provide an opportunity to entertain and to educate anyone with an interest in art, architecture, and design.

Have you seen any films recently that you would recommend to a friend and think we should add here? While this collection is predominantly influenced by West Coast Modernism, we are open and interested in broader modernist themes from further afield in art, architecture, and design. Please send us the title of the film, and a link to its viewing platform, by email at wcmleague@gmail.com or DM us on our various social platforms. New films will be added daily. Enjoy!

Architecture + Design Film Festival: 2020 | Online

NOV 19–DEC 3, 2020 | Architecture + Design Film Festival (ADFF) will offer viewers across the U.S. and Canada a robust program with 16-20 uplifting design films, introductions by special guests, director Q&As, and more. The films are all intended to be uplifting and positive. Full program to be announced mid-September.

Inform Interiors: Japan Handmade Instagram Live Series

Starting June 9 @ 4:30pm PST, join Inform Interiors for the Japan Handmade Instagram Live series, an exploration of Japanese craftsmanship. For the past three years, the month of June has brought Japan Handmade to Inform's Vancouver showroom with workshops and talks. This year, the events will take place on Instagram Live, hosted by Inform Interiors' owner, Nancy Bendtsen, in conversation with some of Kyoto's most talented craftsmen.

Virtual Design Festival

APRIL 15-JUNE 30, Virtual Design Festival is the world’s first online design festival.

WE ARE ONE: A Global Film Festival

MAY 29–JUNE 7, WE ARE ONE: A Global Film Festival is a free 10-day online festival, exclusively on YouTube, born out of the idea that the film community can come together in times of crises - both in celebration of films and in support by providing much needed relief for COVID-19 efforts.

60 Day Cycle

[2020, 5m 5s] When society shifts abruptly into pandemic low gear, a lone cyclist embarks on a tour that begins with shuttered shops and empty streets, and ends with a city opening up to a new reality. Produced by Anthill Films for the National Film Board of Canada.

Architecture of Infinity

Temporality and age are inherent in every object and creature and, depending on one’s outlook, may transcend to infinity. How can this be imagined? What goes beyond it? The filmmaker Christoph Schaub starts his personal journey through time and space in his childhood, when his fascination with sacred buildings began – and his wonder at beginnings and ends. Schaub explores, together with the architects Peter Zumthor, Peter Märkli and Álvaro Siza Vieira, the artists James Turrell and Cristina Iglesias and drummer virtuoso Jojo Mayer, the magic of sacred spaces, defined here as far more than church buildings. Directed by Christoph Schaub. Magnet Film.

Bauhaus Spirit: 100 Years of Bauhaus

Almost a hundred years ago, a radical artistic utopia was born in the city of Weimar; Bauhaus. This is a fascinating look at how it still shapes our world today. Against the background of the 100th anniversary 'Bauhaus Spirit: 100 Years of Bauhaus' not only tells art history, but also contemporary history. Directed by Niels Bolbrinker and Thomas Tielsch. Produced by Signature Entertainment.

Built on Narrow Land

The end of Bauhaus summers on Cape Cod. The film documents an important period in the history of Modern Architecture through the lens of one of the most beautiful places in the world–Cape Cod. Film by Malachi Connolly. Saltbox Films.

City Dreamers

City Dreamers is a film about our changing urban environment and four trailblazing women architects who have been working, observing and thinking about the transformations shaping the cities of today and tomorrow for over 70 years. The film is inspired by what has united these four women throughout their careers: the “dream” of a fundamentally human and inclusive city. Directed by Joseph Hillel. Couzen Films.

City Limits with Jane Jacobs

This short documentary features acclaimed author and activist Jane Jacobs' forthright, critical analysis of the problems and virtues of North American cities. Jacobs orients her fascinating observations around Toronto, to which she moved after leaving New York City because Toronto "is a city that still has options ... it hasn't made so many mistakes that it's bound to go downhill.” Produced and Directed by Laurence Hyde. National Film Board of Canada, 1971.

Coast Modern

Coast Modern is relaxed journey that takes us across three generations of Modernist architecture, all finding beauty in their own times, and all taking us back to the basics of true living – a sense of place, light, and a deep connection to the earth. Travelling along the Pacific North West coastline from LA to Vancouver, the film showcases the pioneers of West Coast Modernist Architecture, and the homes that have become their legacies. Stepping inside the most inspired dwellings on the west coast, we feel how the light and space of a classic Modernist home can work in collaboration with the natural environment. Directed by Gavin Froome and Mike Bernard. Twofold Films.

Design Canada

Design Canada is the first documentary chronicling the history of Canadian graphic design and how it shaped a nation and its people. What defines a national identity, is it an anthem? A flag? Is it a logo or icon? How do these elements shape who we are? In the 60s and 70s, these questions were answered by an innovative group of Canadian designers, who used design to unify the nation. Directed by Greg Durell.

Do More With Less

[2017, 1hr 25min] Do More With Less shows how young architects in Latin America are bringing about a change in paradigm by offering a new understanding of the way this profession interacts with society. Exploring ways in which the future of architecture in the area can be improved and provide an alternative economic model.

Helvetica

Helvetica is a cinematic exploration of urban spaces in major cities and the type that inhabits them, and a fluid discussion with renowned designers about their work, the creative process, and the choices and aesthetics behind their use of type. Helvetica encompasses the worlds of design, advertising, psychology, and communication, and invites us to take a second look at the thousands of words we see every day. Produced and Directed by Gary Hustwit.

Masters of Modern Design

From the iconic typeface of “The Godfather” book cover to Herman Miller’s Noguchi table, the influence of Japanese American artists and designers in postwar American art and design is unparalleled. While this second generation of Japanese American artists have been celebrated in various publications and exhibitions with their iconic work, less-discussed is how the World War II incarceration — a period of intense discrimination and hardship — has also had a powerful effect on the lives of artists such as Ruth Asawa, George Nakashima, Isamu Noguchi, S. Neil Fujita and Gyo Obata. Directed by Akira Boch. Artbound.

Mon Oncle

Slapstick prevails again when Jacques Tati’s eccentric, old-fashioned hero, Monsieur Hulot, is set loose in Villa Arpel, the geometric, oppressively ultramodern home of his brother-in-law, and in the antiseptic plastic hose factory where he gets a job. The second Hulot movie and Tati’s first color film, Mon oncle is a supremely amusing satire of mechanized living and consumer society that earned the director the Academy Award for best foreign-language film. Directed by Jacques Tati.

Objectified

Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. What can we learn about who we are, and who we want to be, from the objects with which we surround ourselves? Produced and Directed by Gary Hustwit.

Playtime

Jacques Tati’s gloriously choreographed, nearly wordless comedies about confusion in an age of high technology reached their apotheosis with PlayTime. For this monumental achievement, a nearly three-year-long, bank-breaking production, Tati again thrust the lovably old-fashioned Monsieur Hulot, along with a host of other lost souls, into a baffling modern world, this time Paris. With every inch of its superwide frame crammed with hilarity and inventiveness, PlayTime is a lasting record of a modern era tiptoeing on the edge of oblivion. Directed by Jacques Tati.

SuperDesign: Italian Radical Design 1965-75

[2017, 1hr 3min] SUPERDESIGN is a film about the Italian Radical Movement in Architecture & Design in the 1960s and ’70s. Through the words and stories of people who were part of that movement, we retrace the history and the heritage of the movement. They take us back to that time when everything seemed possible. Directed by Francesca Molteni.

The Human Scale: Bringing Cities to Life

By 2050, 80% of the world’s population will live in urban areas. This eye-opening film makes an excellent case for designing cities around people instead of cars, examining the problems, solutions and possibilities for urban development. Directed by Andreas Dalsgaard. Presented by Final Cut for Real.

The Human Shelter

An existential film about how we construct and articulate stories about our homes. How do we construct homes in today's worldwide hotspots which are facing the challenges of climate change, globalization and migration? How do people create shelters and feel at home with others and in their bodies? Directed by Boris Bertram. Good Company Pictures.

Urbanized

Urbanized is a feature-length documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world’s foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers. Produced and Directed by Gary Hustwit.

Workplace

Workplace was a project for the 2016 Venice Architecture Biennale about the past, present, and future of the office. It looks at the thinking, innovation, and experimentation involved in creating the next evolution of what the office could be. Produced and Directed by Gary Hustwit.

Alexander Girard: Architect of Modern Living

[5m 16s] In April of 2019, the AIGA posthumously honored Alexander Girard with its highest accolade, an AIGA Medal. We’re thrilled at the commendation, one that Girard earned in part for his vast corpus of design over the 21 years he spent at Herman Miller. Girard also joins the likes of Charles and Ray Eames, George Nelson, Tomoko Miho, Steve Frykholm, and others as Herman Miller-affiliated designers who have won an AIGA medal. Produced by Herman Miller.

Andrew Gellar: Segment from Modern Tide

Andrew Michael Geller (1924 – 2011) was an American architect, painter, and graphic designer. He is widely known for his uninhibited, sculptural beach houses in the coastal regions of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut during the 1950s and '60s. This is segment of the documentary Modern Tide: Midcentury Architecture on Long Island, directed by Jake Gorst. Produced by Jake Gorst and Tracey Rennie Gorst.

Antonio Gaudi, 1964

Presents the major architectural achievements of Gaudi and his integration with early Gothic 'art nouveau' breakthroughs. Explains his theories of organic structure viewing the Casa Vicens, Palacio Guell, Casa Battlo, Temple of the Sagrada Familia and Part Guell. Produced by William Thomson.

Antonio Gaudi, 1984

Hiroshi Teshigahara's camera takes us over, under, around, and into buildings and a park designed by Antonio Gaudí (1852 - 1926), Catalan architect, ceramist, and sculptor. Teshigahara suggests the influence of Romanesque churches and monasteries on Gaudí and the influence of the caves and crags of Montserrat, close to Barcelona. Every line of Gaudí's seems curved, and no surface is without textures. Produced by Teshigahara Productions, Toho.

Architect Santiago Calatrava

New York-based filmmaker Alexandra Liveris profiles Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, the man behind the World Trade Center Transportation Hub. Charites Films.

Arthur Erickson on Building Vancouver

Arthur Erickson, the acclaimed architect, uses a scale model of downtown to demonstrate his ideas for the city's future. CBC Archives.

California Architecture 1920-1939: Frank Lloyd Wright

A classic film on the California architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright, featuring Hollyhock House, Storer House, Ennis House, Honeycomb House, and Sturgess House.

Canadian Architect Arthur Erickson

In this rare interview from 1973, Canadian architect Arthur Erickson talks about design, environment and tradition in his trade. CBC Archives.

Charlotte Perriand, Pioneer in the Art of Living

[2019, 53m] ADFF:Online JUNE 17: The designer and architect Charlotte Perriand was a highly creative figure who left her mark on the 20th century. Free-spirited and politically engaged, she designed revolutionary furnishings and participated in the invention of modern dwellings that were in harmony with both their inhabitants and their environment. From her avant-garde battles alongside Le Corbusier in the 1930s to her experience in Japan and affirmation of a lifestyle based on openness and flexibility, this film, in the the shape of a notebook of memories gives us an up-close and personal look at a a life filled with passion and creativity. Directed by Stéphane Guez.

Charlotte Perriand: Inventing a New World

The year of 2019 marks 20th anniversary of the passing of French designer Charlotte Perriand. From 2 October 2019 to 24 February 2020, Fondation Louis Vuitton holds an extensive exhibition of her interior and architectural works in order to pay tribute to the pioneer of modernity.

Citizen Architect

[2015, 59min] In 1993, the late architect and MacArthur “genius” Samuel Mockbee started the Rural Studio, a design/build architecture program, in which students create striking architecture for impoverished communities in rural Alabama. The Rural Studio is about more than building. It is also about providing students with an experience that forever inspires them to consider how they can use their skills to better their communities. Directed by Sam Wainwright Douglas.

Citizen Jane: Battle for the City

Citizen Jane is a timely tale of what can happen when engaged citizens fight the power for the sake of a better world. Arguably no one did more to shape our understanding of the modern American city than Jane Jacobs, the visionary activist and writer who fought to preserve urban communities in the face of destructive development projects. Director Matt Tyranuer.

Diller Scofidio + Renfro: Reimagining the Lincoln Centre and the High Line

Diller Scofidio + Renfro has long been at the forefront of design. The interdisciplinary design firm, founded in 1979, first stirred interest with its provocative exhibitions of theoretically based projects that blurred the boundaries between art and architecture. Produced by Checkerboard Films.

Documenting the Appeal of Mid-Century Modern

[6m 17s] Much of the magic that the desert utopia of Palm Springs holds has to do with its prominent mid-century aesthetic. Author Michael Stern outlines how pioneering architect William Krisel relied on the careful eye of Los Angeles photographer Julius Shulman to create the iconic photographs we know today, while also contributing to restoring Krisel's designs for the duration. Featuring an archived interview with Julius Shulman. Segment from Lost LA: Desert Fantasy. KCET.

Frei Otto: Spanning the Future

This documentary profiles internationally-renowned architect and engineer, Frei Otto. Half a century ago, Otto became world famous as a pioneer in the design of tensile structures made from metal armatures and lightweight membranes. Otto’s work includes the Mannheim Multihalle, the Munich Zoo Aviary, the 1967 Montreal World Expo German Pavilion and co-design of the 1972 Munich Olympics Stadium. Directed by Joshua V. Hassel.

Glenn Murcutt: Spirit of Place

Glenn Murcutt – Spirit of Place explores the life and work of Australia’s most famous living architect. Murcutt’s extraordinary international reputation rests on the beauty and integrity of his buildings. Directed by Catherine Hunter.

GOFF

ADFF:Online Livestream - May 20th @ 8:00pm (ET & PT): Bruce Goff was one of the greatest American architects of the 20th century. His unconventional perspective challenged stigmas about the Midwest’s inability to produce innovative work. A peer to Frank Lloyd Wright, his work had a profound influence on the next generation of architects, including Phillip Johnson and Frank Gehry. However, Goff’s willingness to explore original forms often solicited polarized perspectives of his work. Directed by Britni Harris.

Gray Matters: Architect and Designer Eileen Gray

ADFF:Online Livestream – May 17th @ 8:00pm (ET & PT): Gray Matters explores the long, fascinating life and complicated career of architect and designer Eileen Gray, whose uncompromising vision defined and defied the practice of modernism in decoration, design and architecture. Making a reputation with her traditional lacquer work in the first decade of the 20th century, she became a critically acclaimed and sought after designer and decorator before reinventing herself as an architect – a field in which she labored mostly in obscurity. Directed by Marco Antonio Orsini. Mojo Entertainment LLC.

Harry Seidler: Modernist

The first documentary retrospective of Harry Seidler’s architectural legacy, Harry Seidler: Modernist reveals an intimate portrait of his extraordinary life and internationally recognised work. Seidler is acclaimed as one of the greatest modernist architects. Seidler typified the practice of mid-century modernism in Australia more than any other. From the moment he arrived in Sydney his private homes were in demand and his uniquely stylised and innovatively engineered tower blocks came to dominate the skyline. Produced by Film Art Media.

Infinite Space: The Architecture of John Lautner

As a young man. John Lautner broke with his mentor Frank Lloyd Wright, and went to California to forge his own unique style of architecture. His life was marked by innovation and inspiration, endless battles with building codes, an accidental leap into the epicentre of pop culture, bitterness of lost opportunities, and finally - monumental achievement. Produced by Concord Media.

James Hubbell: Between Heaven and Earth

James Hubbell has been driven to have a conversation with the world, using his art and his architecture to give flight to his deepest beliefs. A life lived in harmony with the environment that surrounds his southern California mountain home has inspired works so exquisite…they’ve been commissioned for churches …synagogues, … parks, even a palace. Produced by Gerdes Creative.

Louis Kahn: Silence and Light

The first documentary film examining the work of Louis Kahn following his death in 1974. This film, which was released in 1996, examines six of his most significant completed works: The Salk Institute ; the Kimbell Art Museum; the Center for British Art; the Library at Philips Exeter Academy; the Indian Institute of Management; and the Dhaka Parliament Buildings. Michael Blackwood Productions.

Mario Botta: The Space Beyond

[2018, 1hr 18m] This film is a rare, in-depth artistic journey into the work of internationally acclaimed Swiss architect Mario Botta. The film explores Botta’s ever-growing curiosity and reflections on the contradictions of society through his sacred spaces. Why does a globalized society feel the urge to build such spaces? Passionate, tireless, at age 76, Botta is one of the few architects who has built places of prayer for the three main monotheistic religions. After building many churches, chapels and a synagogue, he is now working on a mosque in China. Directed by Loretta Dalpozzo & Michèle Volontè.

Paul Revere Williams: An African-American Architect in Jet-Age L.A.

[26min, 18sec] Although best known for designing the homes of celebrities like Lucille Ball and Frank Sinatra, the pioneering African-American architect Paul Revere Williams also contributed to some of the city’s most recognizable civic structures — all while confronting racial barriers. In this episode, we visit LAX’s iconic Theme Building; a Williams-designed church; and the Pueblo del Rio public housing project archive. KCET.

Rams

For over fifty years, Dieter Rams has left an indelible mark on the field of product design and the world at large with his iconic work at Braun and Vitsoe. The objects Dieter has designed have touched the lives of millions of people––so many of us have had a Braun coffeemaker, shaver, stereo, calculator, speakers, or alarm clock. Or an Oral-B toothbrush. Or a Vitsoe 606 shelving system. Or any of the hundreds of other products Dieter has designed or overseen the design of. Produced and Directed by Gary Hustwit.

Ray Kappe: California Modern Master

Ray Kappe has long been a cult figure in the architectural scene in and around Los Angeles. In 1972, he founded the influential, avant garde Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCI-ARC), where many of the younger-generation architects have studied or taught.The film explores Kappe’s thinking behind his domestic work, beginning with a tour of the iconic hillside house he built for his family in 1967 in Pacific Palisades, and traces the trajectory of his career that led to his two heralded, sustainable, prefabricated houses designed for LivingHomes in 2006-2007. Produced by Checkerboard Films.

REM

[2017, 1hr 15min] An artful glimpse into the brilliant mind of the world's most celebrated architect. Over four decades, 'starchitect' and master provocateur Rem Koolhaas has shaken up the field of architecture, and redefined the role of the architect in the world. Filmmaker Tomas Koolhaas spent 3 years following his father around the globe, playing witness to Rem's extraordinary creativity, as well as exploring his works through the eyes of those who actually inhabit them.

Robert Venturi & Denise Scott Brown

Filmed during the design and realization of the Sainsbury extension to the National Gallery in London, Venturi speaks of the revelatory experiences with classical architecture that led to his revolutionary re-appraisal of modern architecture and his landmark text of 1966, Complexity and Contradiction. Wife/partner architect Denise Scott Brown describes their formulation of post-Modern principles in Las Vegas and elsewhere. Produced by Michael Blackwood Productions.

Space Land Time: Underground Adventures with Ant Farm

This is the first film to consider the work of the 1970s avant-garde architecture, graphic arts, and environmental design firm called Ant Farm, best known for its iconic land-art piece, Cadillac Ranch. Radical architects, video pioneers, and mordantly funny cultural commentators, the Ant Farmers created a body of deeply subversive multi-disciplinary work that questioned the boundaries of architecture and everything else in the process. Directed by Elizabeth Federici, Laura Harrison.

Tadao Ando: From Emptiness to Infinity

Tadao Ando: From Emptiness to Infinity, a 2013 documentary by German filmmaker Mathias Frick, offers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the work and processes of Ando, the only architect to have won the discipline’s four most prestigious prizes: the Pritzker, Carlsberg, Praemium Imperiale, and Kyoto Prize. Directed by Mathias Frick. Produced by MagnetFilm.

That Far Corner: Frank Lloyd Wright in Los Angeles

During his time spent in Southern California in the late 1910s and early 1920s, Frank Lloyd Wright accelerated the search for an authentic L.A. architecture that was suitable to the city's culture and landscape. Writer/Director Christopher Hawthorne, architecture critic for the Los Angeles Times, explores the houses the legendary architect built in Los Angeles. Directed by Christopher Hawthorne.

The Man & The Architect – Jørn Utzon

ADFF:Online Livestream – May 17th @ 8:00pm (ET & PT): At the age of 37 Jørn Utzon designs The Sydney Opera House – a structure destined to be the most famous building in the 20th century, propelling him to the status of stardom in the world of architecture. It is his great luck, but it also breaks his heart and becomes the biggest curse on his career as he is forced to leave Australia prior to the completion. Directed by Lene Borch Hansen, Anna von Lowzow.

The Practice of Architecture: Visiting Peter Zumthor

[2012, 58 min] The architect Peter Zumthor lives and works in the remote village of Haldenstein in the Swiss Kanton of Graubünden. Here, keeping the politics of architecture at a comfortable distance, Zumthor enjoys the status of “world-class” architect for his unique modernist buildings. They can be found in many parts of Europe, soon to be followed by a public building in Los Angeles, where he is in charge of a new master plan for LACMA. Directed by Michael Blackwood.

Webster! Interview with Arthur Erickson & David Podmore on BC Place

Webster speaks to famed BC Architect Arthur Erickson and the director of planning for BC Place, David Padmore about concept planning and Expo 86. Webster also discusses Erickson’s body of work. BC Archives. Jack Webster and BCTV.

Wright Sites X Pecha Kucha 20 X 20

On June 8th, The Westcott House Foundation, Frank Lloyd Wright Building Conservancy, and Wright sites across the United States teamed up with PechaKucha to present a live online global event in celebration of Wright's work and legacy. The event, entitled “Wright Sites x PechaKucha,” featured presentations in the highly-visual and efficient PechaKucha style, which consists of 20 image-based slides that automatically advance after 20 seconds, with each talk lasting only 400 seconds. The free virtual event happened on Monday, June 8, 2020, but are available to watch anytime online.

At Home with Gordon Smith

The force behind design and culture magazine Inventory, Ryan Willms takes a special trip to visit key modernist artist [the late] Gordon Smith, who at nearly 100 years old stays active and makes the most of his verdantly nestled home in West Vancouver's Lighthouse Park. His home, known as the Smith II House, was designed by Arthur Erickson. Directed by Ryan Willms. Presented by Nowness.

Exhibition on Screen: David Hockney RA

Back in 2012, David Hockney filled the Royal Academy with vibrant, large-scale works of his native East Yorkshire, in a "A Bigger Picture." Four years later, Hockney gave us a snapshot of the LA art scene he’d returned to, with "82 Portraits and One Still-Life." Both shows were filmed to create this EXHIBITION ON SCREEN by Seventh Art Productions.

Future Perfect: The Midcentury Modern Paintings of Danny Heller

[11m 17s] Midcentury-modern architecture is back in fashion, but what draws the 20- and 30-somethings? Danny Heller, who paints Palm Springs chic in almost photorealistic fashion, explains the attraction. Lost LA. KCET.

Gohar Dashti’s “Home” Series

Discover the meticulous process of Gohar Dashti and her team, who worked in abandoned homes in Mashhad, Iran, to create the Home series. The scenes of assembled natural materials—plants, soil, flowers—carefully selected for each specific building reflect on the resilience of nature and, ultimately, the meaning and loss of home. “The Home series is a project about the people,” Dashti once explained. “Maybe you cannot see the people, but it’s about the people.”

James Turrell: You Who Look

What is visual perception? James Turrell, the artist who, for over 40 years, has been creating artworks that test our notions of seeing, takes us on a journey through his immersive series of works. Produced by Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Slim Aarons: The High Life

[2016, 1hr 7m] Slim Aarons spent his life documenting jet setters, movie stars and beautiful people doing beautiful things during the 50's, 60's and 70's. In "The High Life," the story behind some of his most fabulous photographs are revealed among white sand beaches, longing palms and relaxed, gorgeous faces. Directed by Fritz Mitchell.

The Proposal

The Proposal follows conceptual artist Jill Magid as she develops a radical project to explore artistic legacy. At its heart is the work of the Pritzker Prize-winning Mexican architect Luis Barragán, which is aggressively “protected” and kept from the public by its copyright holders. Directed by Jill Magid. Oscilloscope Laboratories.

Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Schulman

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world's greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream. Shulman captured the work of nearly every major modern and progressive architect since the 1930s including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Frank Gehry. Directed by Eric Bricker. Arthouse Films.

Where the Universe Sings

An intimate portrait of the life and art of Lawren Harris, a founding member of the legendary Group of Seven, and the expansive landscapes that inspired him. Harris has become the most valued artist in Canadian history, with his canvases routinely selling at auction for millions of dollars. Directed and produced by Nancy Lang & Peter Raymont. White Pine Pictures.

Bruce Goff: Ford House

The Ford House, designed by Bruce Goff in 1949, is one of the most significant homes in Aurora, Illinois. Now a private residence, it is also commonly referred to as the "Round" or "Coal" house. This film was produced for the installation "Past Forward: Architecture and Design at the Art Institute." Film by Spirit of Place. Produced by the Art Institute of Chicago.

Mies on Scene: Barcelona in Two Acts

[2018, 58m] The story of a building that changed the history of architecture. Its construction and subsequent reconstruction in two key moments of Barcelona immerse us in a reflection on the perception of art. Produced by The Circular Group.

Nowness in Residence: Carlos Herrera

From sprawling coastal Country Clubs and lush resorts to secluded private residences, the Mexican architect Carlos Herrera is known throughout Latin America for his sophisticated approach to contemporary luxury on every scale. His own home in Cuernavaca, some thirty minutes south of Mexico City, is no exception: the expansive, concrete concoction reveals an earthy, elemental kind of modernism with simple, heavy furnishings and endless stretches of travertine and marble. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Natalia Rachlin.

Nowness in Residence: Daniel Libeskind

Inside the New York-based architect's Manhattan apartment. For the Polish-born architect Daniel Libeskind, the crossroads of west Tribeca in lower Manhattan have been the nexus of his private and professional life for over a decade: his 2,100-square-foot loft sits just five blocks north of ground zero, and in 2003, Libeskind won the competition to be the Master Plan architect for the redevelopment of the World Trade Center site, which today stands in finished form. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Natalie Rachlin.

Nowness in Residence: Gawie and Gwen Fagan

Gawie Fagan is known as one of South Africa’s most celebrated architects, while he and wife Gwen, who is also his creative partner, are known for their seamless integration of built structures into the surrounding natural environment. Director Gavin Elder, known for his extensive documentation of synth-pop legends Duran Duran, captures the couple in their labyrinthine Camps Bay pad. Known locally as Die Es (The Hearth), the building sits neatly in the hillside surround and boasts panoramic views of the sea from one side and mountains to the other. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Gavin Elder.

Nowness in Residence: Jim Olson

Up in the trees with the nature-loving architect. The home of architect Jim Olson—founder of Seattle-based practice Olson Kundig—is a monument to the principles that have underpinned his entire architectural career: the idea that buildings can serve as a bridge between nature, culture, histories and people. His 14-foot by 14-foot treetop house in Longbranch, Washington, is designed to encourage its inhabitants to look outwards and never forget that human beings are a part of the natural world. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Stephen McGehee.

Nowness in Residence: Knud Holscher

Inside the Danish architect’s brick-built minimalist home. On an expansive plot down a leafy cul-de-sac 25 minutes north of Copenhagen sits a spectacular boxy brick-and-glass house. Situated in the sleepy suburb of Holte, it is at once unpretentious, poetic and understated—much like the man who built it. The home of Knud Holscher, one of Denmark’s most acclaimed architects and industrial designers, has been considered one of this small Nordic nation’s most beautiful residences since it was built in the early 1970s. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Emile Rafael.

Nowness in Residence: Kulapat Yantrasast

The world-renowned Thai architect on concrete and animal kitsch. “You cannot bullshit with concrete,” says Bangkok-born Los-Angeles-based architect Kulapat Yantrasast. “You can see the seam, you can see the process of making in the product.” Bearing out this statement is his home in Venice Beach—a veritable homage to the modern material— with its open-to-the-elements aesthetic, replete with rooftop trampoline, viewing box and collection of dog figurines. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Emile Rafael.

Nowness in Residence: Mark Haddawy

Inside the John Lautner-designed Los Angeles house restored to its original incarnation. High up in the Hollywood Hills sits the Lautner Harpel House, an unrivalled example of signature Californian architecture. Since it was built in 1956, the design of architect John Lautner, an apprentice of the legendary Frank Lloyd Wright, the building saw dramatic changes, including a second storey addition and other features deemed ill-fitting to its style. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Michael Lewin.

Nowness in Residence: Pamela Shamshiri

Climb up into the design maven’s modernist Californian tree top home. The Hollywood Hills are peppered with several architectural wonders from pre-war Austrian and German designers. However, none lay quite as enveloped by its natural landscape as the 1947 Rudolph Schindler-built home of Pamela Shamshiri—the interior design maven whose client list includes Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway and musician Beck. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Emily Oberg.

Nowness in Residence: Ray Kappe

A treetop tour of the American architect’s Californian abode. A modern masterpiece of glass and redwood, the home of architect Ray Kappe is often referenced as one of the greatest residences in Southern California. Designed as a family home some 50 years ago, chez Kappe is an exquisite tree house that sits amidst sycamore and eucalyptus on a hill in LA’s Rustic Canyon. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Matthew Donaldson.

Nowness in Residence: Sophie Hicks

In 1987, after working as fashion editor at Tatler and Vogue, Sophie Hicks embarked on a career in architecture, going on to design some 100 Chloé boutiques, stores for Nottingham's own Paul Smith, and—most notably—Yohji Yamamoto's stunning Paris flagship. In this new film, the latest of our much-loved In Residence series, the architect guides us around her minimal Kensington home—one that belies its proximity to the beating heart of a major city. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Nick Ballon.

Nowness in Residence: Yui & Takaharu Tezuka

Meet the Tokyo-based designers with a novel approach to shared living. Their own Tokyo home is designed to house everything within a single space, encouraging time spent together—with private spaces limited to open up the modest area. Here, the Tezukas invite Japanese director Yutaka Obara into their airy sun-drenched home to talk time, space and the importance of time spent together. Nowness in Residence Series. Directed by Michael Lewin.

Perception of Architecture: Neutra VDL House

An early 1980's film featuring architect Dion Neutra, son of architect Richard Neutra, with his mother Dione Neutra on cello, on the family's Silver Lake VDL House is Los Angeles. Produced by Dion Neutra and Titus Leber.

Strange & Familiar: Architecture on Fogo Island

As Fogo Island struggles to sustain its unique way of life in the face of a collapse of its fishing industry, architect Todd Saunders and social entrepreneur Zita Cobb's vision results in the building of strikingly original architecture that will become a catalyst for social change. Follow the construction Fogo Island Inn on a tiny island off eastern Newfoundland. Directed by Marcia Connelly & Katherine Knight. Produced by First Run Features.

Studio in the Woods 2018

Studio in the Woods 2018 saw 60 students create the structures over three days in Worcestershire. The annual workshop is designed to test ideas through making at 1:1, and the studio was hosted by the Wyre Community Land Trust at Ruskin Land. The focus this year was to explore future uses for the timber of the Wyre Forest. Photography and film by Jim Stephenson.

Studio in the Woods, 2017

Piers Taylor takes us through the ethos and process of Studio in the Woods, which returned to the Somerset forest this Summer. From Piers - "Studio in the Woods was back this year – bigger and better than ever. 70 Students of architecture and makers along with 15 architects as group leaders and critics descended on Invisible Studio for a extraordinary long weekend of making."

The Gamble House

The Gamble House is the incredible true story of brothers Charles and Henry Greene who were pushed reluctantly into architecture by their forceful father only to design and build the most seminal and stunning Arts & Crafts masterpiece. Fans of Back to the Future will know it as Doc Brown’s house but now Oscar and Emmy nominated film maker Don Hahn takes you inside for the whole story behind one of the most fascinating houses in America. Presented by Stone Circle Pictures.

The Oyler House: Richard Neutra’s Desert Retreat

In 1959, a government employee named Richard Oyler, living in the tiny desert town of Lone Pine, California, asked world-famous modern architect Richard Neutra to design his modest family home. To Oyler's surprise, Neutra agreed. Thus began an unlikely friendship that led to the design and construction of an iconic mid-century modern masterpiece. Produced by First Run Features.

The Prairie House: Herb Greene

Life magazine dubbed it the "prairie chicken house." Others say it resembles a stoic bison on the plains. Designed by renowned architect Herb Greene and nestled in a field in east Norman, this symbol of organic modernism remained relatively hidden from the public for most of the past half-century, falling into disrepair. Produced by LoyalTV.

Unfinished Spaces

In 1961, three young, visionary architects were commissioned by Fidel Castro and Che Guevara to create Cuba's National Art Schools on the grounds of a former golf course in Havana, Cuba. Dancers, musicians and artists from all over the country reveled in the beauty of the schools, but as the dream of the Revolution quickly became a reality, construction was abruptly halted and the architects and their designs were deemed irrelevant in the prevailing political climate. Directed by Benjamin Murray and Alysa Nahmias.

VDF x Archigram

In a series of short films, Architects Peter Cook and Dennis Crompton discuss the beginnings, the rise to prominence, the concepts of the elevated and temporary cities, and the near realization of the building Monte Carlo of the influential avant-garde architectural group, "Archigram." Virtual Design Festival.

Acton Ostry Architects AOA25

AOA25 presents a chronology of projects that hold a special significance for founding partners Russell Acton and Mark Ostry, in part because they mark the evolution of the practice, from its beginnings as a small and upcoming design studio to its current status as a well-established and nationally renowned architectural firm. Hosted by Inform Interiors.

Architects, not Architecture: Daniel Libeskind

Architects, not Architecture presents Daniel Libeskind, a US-American architect and urban planner of Polish-Jewish origin. He studied music in Israel and New York and also worked as a professional musician since he was a kind of child prodigy on the accordion. Later he opted for architecture and graduated from Cooper Union in New York and the University of Essex.

Architects, not Architecture: Kjetil Thorsen

Architects, not Architecture presents Kjetil Trædal Thorsen. Kjetil was born on the Norwegian coastal island of Karmøy. He studied architecture in Graz, Austria. When he completed his studies in 1985, he co-founded the office Snøhetta with his founding partners Craig Dykers and Christoph Kapeller. Today, Snøhetta has grown to become an internationally renowned practice of architecture, landscape architecture, interior architecture, product- and graphic design.

Architects, not Architecture: Louis Becker

Architects, not Architecture presents Louis Becker. He graduated from Aarhus Architectural School in 1989 and ever since he is Partner and Design Principal at Henning Larsen Architects. Over the years, he has played an integral role in the internationalization of Henning Larsen and he remains a driving force behind the vision of expanding the practice’s global impact.

Architects, not Architecture: Odile Decq

Architects, not Architecture presents Odile Decq. Odile set up her own office just after graduating at La Villette in 1978 while studying at Sciences Politiques Paris. In 1990 she won her first major commission: the Banque Populaire de l’Ouest in Rennes. By questioning the commission, the use, the matter, the body, the technique and the taste Odile Decq’s architecture offers a paradoxical look, both tender and severe on today’s world.

Architects, not Architecture: Peter Cook

Architects, not Architecture presents Peter Cook, a Graduate of the Bournemouth College of Art and the Architectural Association in London, he has been a pivotal figure within the architectural world for 50 years. A founder of the Archigram Group who were jointly awarded the Royal Gold Medal of the RIBA in 2004.

Architects, not Architecture: Richard Rogers

Architects, not Architecture presents Richard George Rogers, an Italian-British architect and 2007 Pritzker Prize winner. During military service, he learned of the work of Ernesto Nathan Rogers, a well-known Italian architect and his father’s cousin. As a result, Rogers studied at the AA in London and Yale School of Art and Architecture. He founded Richard Rogers Partnership in 1977 with offices in London, Barcelona, Madrid and Tokyo.

Architects, not Architecture: Todd Saunders

Architects, not Architecture presents Todd Saunders, a Canadian architect who founded the studio Saunders Architecture based in Bergen, Norway, in 1998. The award-winning firm has completed cultural and residential projects around the world, with a bold modern aesthetic that combines a strong sense of place with an emphasis on craftsmanship and meticulous detailing.

Architects, not Architecture: Will Alsop

Architects, not Architecture presents Will Alsop, the late architect, artist and educator who established aLL Design in 2011. His work encompassed all sectors of architecture including urban and landscape design and planning. His studio practice incorporated fine art painting, writing and modelmaking. Alsop’s core values were innovation, expression and originality with an emphasis on enjoyment.

Canada: Modern Architectures in History

Canada is a country of massive size, of diverse geographical features and an equally diverse population—all features that are magnificently reflected in its architecture. Rhodri Windsor Liscombe and Michelangelo Sabatino offer a richly informative history of Canadian architecture that celebrates and explores the country’s many contributions to the spread of architectural modernity in the Americas. Hosted by Inform Interiors.

Capture Photography Festival: Alex Morrison

Alex Morrison was born in Redruth, UK and currently lives and works in Vancouver, Canada. Subcultures, activism, rebellion, the history of domestic architecture, civic spaces and avant-garde aesthetics have been persistent themes in his work for over a decade. Alex Morrison in conversation about his recent works with photographer Christos Dikeakos. Capture Photography Festival at Inform Interiors.

Capture Photography Festival: Ema Peter

Ema is the principle of Ema Peter Photography. In the past 12 years she has works with some of the largest architectural, interior design and engineering firms in North America. Ema Peter in discussion with Mark Busse on the topic of Digesting Architectural Photography. Capture Photography Festival at Inform Interiors.

Copp House Book Launch

In 1950, a young Vancouver architectural apprentice was handed a small house project that his boss was too busy to take on. The apprentice, Ron Thom, took the simple plan and rectangular foundation that had been roughed in, and transformed it into a groundbreaking work of architecture that gained national fame. Text by Adele Weder with photography by Michael Perlmutter. Hosted by Inform Interiors.

Eppich House II Book Launch

Eppich House II tells the story, through stunning images and Arthur Erickson’s own words, of how a unique collaboration with “dream clients” resulted in Erickson’s most striking residence. It’s a daring experiment that embodies Erickson’s West Coast modernist ideas about site, material, and form. Hosted by Inform Interiors.

Friedman House Book Launch

The Friedman House is a modernist icon, designed by Frederic Lasserre, founder of the UBC School of Architecture, and landscaped by Cornelia Oberlander. Faced with demolition, it was saved by purchasers who understood its architectural value and historical significance. UBC SALA West Coast Modern House Series. Hosted by Inform Interiors.

House Shumiatcher Book Launch

This is the story of a house, designed by hatmaker-turned-architect Judah Shumiatcher, built for his family in 1975, and demolished in 2013. Like so many other distinguished houses in Vancouver, the only crime House Shumiatcher ever committed was to be sited on a plot of gold. Text by Leslie Van Duzer with photography by Michael Perlmutter. UBC SALA West Coast Modern House Series. Hosted by Inform Interiors.

Lyle XOX

Canadian makeup and mixed media artist Lyle Reimer has over 150,000 Instagram followers who visit his account @Lylexox to experience the fantasy and undeniable creativity of his self-portrait personas, which fuse facial sculpture, makeup, and found objects, accompanied by hilarious fictional backstories. Lyle XOX is conversation with Nancy Bendtsen at Inform Interiors.

Masters of West Coast Modernism Vol. 2

Masters of West Coast Modernism is a celebration of the work and enduring legacy of outstanding West Coast Modern Masters. This series aims to reflect on their creative contributions to our built environment, and to offer insight into influences of personal and continued significance to their careers, design philosophies, and creative processes. Produced by the West Coast Modern League. Hosted by Inform Interiors.

Merrick House Book Launch

Merrick House is a documentation of one of the jewels of West Coast Modern architecture, a home that, as a young architect, Merrick built by hand on the steep wooded slopes of West Vancouver, BC in the early 1970s. Text by Tony Robins with photographs by Michael Perlmutter. UBC Sala West Coast Modern House Series. Hosted by Inform Interiors.

Michael Sorkin: How Green is My City

In the talk, which took place at the 2015 reSITE conference, Sorkin highlighted problems of the idealistic representations of future urban plans."We have a tendency to look at representations of new cities and quarters as a kind of pornography, the gaze that maligns and entraps," Sorkin said. "For many years, these representations have often come in a protective, dystopian wrapper, reinforcing the idea that the visionary is ipso facto evil." 2015 reSITE Conference. Rebroadcast for the Virtual Design Festival.

Omar Gandhi Architect

Omar Gandhi is the Principal of Omar Gandhi Architect, an architectural practice founded in 2010 with small teams in both Halifax and Toronto. The work of its two studios – OG Halifax and OGTO – has garnered much National and International attention in the young practice’s short history. Produced by Inform Interiors.

Patkau Architects: Material Operations

Patkau Architects is known for creating innovative, sculptural buildings that convey artistic expression through the purposeful use of materials. Patkau Architects: Material Operations reveals the architectural philosophy and techniques that drive the firm’s extraordinary constructions. Hosted by Inform Interiors.

Peter Cook: Coming Up for Air

Peter Cook's talk at the World Architecture Festival 2019 in Amsterdam. Sir Peter Cook RA is an English architect, lecturer and writer on architectural subjects. He was a founder of Archigram, and was knighted in 2007 by the Queen for his services to architecture and teaching.