Architects and Architecture
Buildings are one of the most frequently uncredited heroes of set design — they can add tension, drama, excitement, beauty, and more to a film without audiences ever knowing their architects’ names or the rationale behind their design. To celebrate the link between architecture and cinema, this week's Spotlight is all about buildings and the people who create them.
Aalto
A documentary about Alvar and Aino Aalto, the great masters of modernism, as well as about people’s personal experiences all over the world in spaces created by them.
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- Finland • 2020
- Director Virpi Suutari
- Cast Alvar Aalto, Aino Aalto, Elissa Aalto, Martti Suosalo, Pirkko Hämäläinen
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Film Movement Plus, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
Bauhaus Spirit: 100 Years of Bauhaus
(Vom Bauen der Zukunft - 100 Jahre Bauhaus)
A documentary exploring the past, present, and future of utopian design and architecture school around the world.
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- Germany • 2018
- Director Niels Bolbrinker, Thomas Tielsch
- Cast Torsten Blume, Rosan Bosch, Alfredo Brillembourg, Hubert Klumpner, Stephen Kovats, Christian Mio Loclair
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Plex, Plex Channel
City Dreamers
(Rêveuses de villes)
Four seasoned female architects from Canada reimagine the cities of our world, for today and for the future.
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- Canada, United States • 2018
- Director Joseph Hillel
- Cast Phyllis Lambert, Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, Denise Scott Brown, Samuel Bronfman
- Genre Documentary
- Available on OVID, Apple TV, Amazon Video, Kanopy
Renzo Piano, an Architect for Santander
A celebration of Renzo Piano, the acclaimed Italian architect who designed some of the most significant contemporary buildings in the world.
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- Spain • 2018
- Director Carlos Saura
- Cast Renzo Piano
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, VUDU Free, Kanopy
Kevin Roche: The Quiet Architect
A revelatory documentary about the enigmatic Irish-American architect Kevin Roche.
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- Ireland, France, Spain • 2017
- Director Mark Noonan
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy, Hoopla
Eero Saarinen: The Architect Who Saw the Future
A cathartic journey through the life and career of Finnish-American architectural giant Eero Saarinen.
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- Finland, United States • 2016
- Director Peter Rosen
- Cast Blythe Danner, Peter Franzén, Eric Saarinen
- Genre Documentary
- Available on DOCSVILLE, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Tadao Ando: From Emptiness to Infinity
This documentary offers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the work and processes of renowned Japanese architect Tadao Ando.
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- Germany • 2013
- Director Mathias Frick
- Cast Tadao Ando
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Amazon Video, myfilmfriend
Eye Over Prague
(Oko nad Prahou)
The documentary follows the life and work of gifted architect Jan Kaplicky.
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- Czech Republic • 2010
- Director Olga Špátová
- Cast Jan Kaplický, Eliška Kaplický Fuchsová, Josef Kaplický, Václav Havel, Dagmar Veškrnová-Havlová, Václav Klaus
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, DocAlliance Films, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube
24 City
(二十四城记)
Three generations reflect on the history of state-owned factory 420 before it is closed and demolished to make way for luxury apartments.
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- China, Hong Kong, Japan • 2008
- Director Jia Zhangke
- Cast Joan Chen, Lü Liping, Zhao Tao, Chen Jianbin
- Genre Drama
- Available on Fandango At Home, Kanopy
Rem Koolhaas: A Kind of Architect
An engaging portrait of the revolutionary Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and his influence in the field.
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- Germany • 2008
- Director Min Tesch
- Cast Rem Koolhaas
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Hoopla
The Architect
(Der Architekt)
A trip to a remote mountain village threatens to change a family forever.
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- Germany • 2008
- Director Ina Weisse
- Cast Josef Bierbichler, Hilde Van Mieghem, Sandra Hüller, Matthias Schweighöfer, Sophie Rois, Lucas Zolgar
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Still Life
(三峡好人)
A man and woman witness societal changes in their hometown, which is headed for demolition.
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- China, Hong Kong • 2006
- Director Jia Zhangke
- Cast Han Sanming, Zhao Tao, Wang Hongwei, Zhubin Li, Haiyu Xiang, Lin Zhou
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy
Kochuu
A visual meditation on modern Japanese architecture, its roots in the Japanese tradition, and its impact on Nordic architecture.
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- Sweden • 2003
- Director Jesper Wachtmeister
- Cast Tadao Ando, Sverre Fehn, Toyo Ito, Kisho Kurokawa
- Genre Documentary, History
- Available on OVID, Amazon Video
Louis Kahn: Silence and Light
A documentary exploring the life and work of the legendary architect Louis Kahn.
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- • 1996
- Director Michael Blackwood
- Cast Louis Kahn, Tadao Ando, Denise Scott Brown, Jonas Salk, Mazharul Islam, Brendan Gill
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Amazon Video, Kanopy
The Belly of an Architect
An architect supervising an exhibition starts to have mysterious stomach pains while his life slowly falls apart.
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- United Kingdom, Italy • 1987
- Director Peter Greenaway
- Cast Brian Dennehy, Chloe Webb, Lambert Wilson, Sergio Fantoni, Stefania Casini, Vanni Corbellini
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, MGM Plus, fuboTV, Epix Amazon Channel, MGM Plus Roku Premium Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads