The work of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and the centenary of the founding of the Bauhaus movement are both celebrated in the Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival, which returns to Dunedin next week.
Co-curator Clare Buchanan selects her top picks from the 17 films which salute the past century's most creative figures and covers everything from food waste and affordable housing to artificial intelligence.
Photos: Supplied
FRANK LLOYD WRIGHT: THE MAN WHO BUILT AMERICA
Wright was arguably the United States' greatest architect and this documentary gives the audience unprecedented access to many of his most important projects. Hosted by affable Welsh architect Johnathan Adams, Frank Lloyd Wright: The Man Who Built America takes us back to Wright's early family roots in Wales and his eventual departure to the US, where he found both fame and serious criticism.
Playing in Dunedin on Friday, June 14, at 8.15pm; Monday, June 17, at 10.30am; Wednesday, June 19 at 6.30pm (includes Q & A hosted by Architectural Designers New Zealand) and Sunday, June 23, at 4.40pm.
DO MORE WITH LESS
This documentary questions the role of the architect and their place in communities. Energetic and vibrant, it takes us on a journey to Ecuador, where a new paradigm of architecture is being explored. Led by celebrated local architects and engaging professors and students, the projects use local materials to produce cheap, quick, yet incredibly well-designed buildings for communities that have been rocked by economic instability and natural disasters. The film profiles some of the best architecture you will see in the festival and we witness the profound effect good architecture has on the people who inhabit these spaces.
Saturday, June 15 at 3.20pm; Tuesday, June 18 at 6.30pm, Friday, June 21 at 10.30am and Sunday, June 23 at 8pm.
ANTHROPOCENE: THE HUMAN EPOCH
One of the biggest environmental films of the year, Anthropocene: The Human Epoch examines the devastation which humans have caused the planet. Beautifully cinematic and captivating, this is the third film in a trilogy by award-winning directors Jennifer Baichwal, Nicholas de Pencier and Edward Burtynsky.
Saturday, June 15, at 6.45pm.
RAMS
It's hard to think of a designer who has had more impact on product design than Dieter Rams. The reserved German is widely acclaimed as being the inspiration for iPhone and other minimalist, user-focused projects. He found fame working for Braun and later Vitsoe. His ethos has always been "less but better", and in an age of mass consumerism, this thinking remains all the more important. Directed by Gary Hustwit, whose films including Helvetica have been incredibly successful, and with a score by Brian Eno, this is not to be missed.
Thursday, June 13, at 6.45pm.
BAUHAUS SPIRIT
Celebrating 100 years since the start of Bauhaus in Germany, this documentary confirms what a profound impact this creative movement has had on everyday 20th-century art and culture. With a wide and varied range of media, it reviews many of the Bauhaus works and explores their processes. In-depth interviews show how much Bauhaus principles are still referred to today.
Saturday, June 22 at 6.40pm.
SLIM AARONS: THE HIGH LIFE
Slim Aarons began his career as a war correspondent. He then returned home and developed a career taking photos of "attractive people doing attractive things in attractive places". In this film, you'll see the jetsetters, movie stars and beautiful people of the 1950s, '60s and '70s, including Jackie Kennedy and Audrey Hepburn.
Friday, June 14, at 12.20pm; Sunday, June 16, at 5pm; Thursday, June 20, at 8.15pm and Sunday, June 23, at 3.10pm.
Give away
The Weekend Mix is giving away a double pass that can be used for any film in the festival. To go in the draw, email playtime@odt.co.nz with "film festival" in the subject line by noon on Wednesday. Please include a daytime contact number.
See it
The Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival is on at Dunedin's Rialto Cinema from June 13-23. The full programme is available at rialto.co.nz/radff
