Unfinished Spaces
 Directed
by: Alysa Nahmias and Benjamin Murray
ADFF’s
opening night film, “Unfinished Spaces,”
concerns the utopian fantasy that swept Cuba when
Castro came to power and
commissioned an arts school complex that
was meant to be “the most
beautiful”
in
the world. Ultimately, the buildings were
left unfinished for more than 30 years
and
upended the careers of the three young architects
who participated in the project. The World
Monuments Fund became involved in the
restoration
of the buildings, and Castro decided to finish
the project in
2004.
Lead
Architect, Richard Porro
(pictured
below), now 86 years old, will
be on hand for the opening night screenign of the
film on October 19th!
How
Much
Does Your Building Weigh, Mr.
Foster?
 Directed
by: Carlos Carcas and Norberto Lopez
Amad
The film traces the rise of one of the world’s
premier architects, Norman Foster and his
unending quest to improve the quality of life
through design. Portrayed are Foster’s origins
and how his dreams and influences inspired the
design of emblematic projects such as the largest
building in the world Beijing Airport, the
Reichstag, the Hearst Building in New York and
works such as the tallest bridge ever in Millau
France. In the very near future, the majority of
mankind will abandon the countryside and live
entirely in cities. Foster offers some striking
solutions to the problems that this historic
event will create.
The
Pruitt -Igoe Myth: An Urban
History
Directed by: Chad Freidrichs
The Pruitt-Igoe Myth tells
the story of the wholesale changes that took
place in the American city in the decades after
World War II, through the lens of the infamous
Pruitt-Igoe housing development in St. Louis. At
the film's historical center is an analysis of
the massive impact of the 1949 Housing Act, which
built Pruitt-Igoe and other high-rise public
housing of the Fifties and Sixties. This critical
piece of legislation also initiated the so-called
urban renewal program and prompted the process of
mass suburbanization, which emptied American
cities of their residents, business and industry.
Those that were left behind faced a destitute,
rapidly de-industrializing St. Louis, parceled
out to downtown interests and increasingly
segregated by class and race. The residents of
Pruitt-Igoe were among the hardest-hit. Their
gripping stories of survival, adaptation and
success are at the emotional heart of the film.
The domestic turmoil wrought by punitive public
welfare policies, the frustrating interactions
with a paternalistic and cash strapped Housing
Authority, and the downward spiral of vacancy,
vandalism and crime, led to resident protest and
action during the 1969 Rent Strike, the first in
the history of public housing. And yet, despite
this complex history, Pruitt-Igoe has often been
stereotyped, with help from a world-famous image
of its implosion, and used as an argument against
Modernist architecture or public assistance
programs. The Pruitt-Igoe Myth seeks to set the
historical record straight, to examine the
interests in Pruitt-Igoe’s creation, to
re-evaluate the rumors and the stigma, to implode
the myth.
POOL PARTY
 Directed
by: Beth Aala
Pool Party is the surprising story of an
abandoned swimming pool, the largest in New York
City that became the most significant music venue
since CBGB's. Both an indie music showcase and an
urban history lesson, Pool Party traces the
process of gentrification of Williamsburg,
Brooklyn through the story of McCarren
Pool.
McCarren Pool opened during the Great Depression
in 1936 - one of eleven public pools envisioned
by New York's first Parks Commissioner, Robert
Moses. The largest of its kind, McCarren is the
size of a football field, with the capacity to
hold a staggering 6800 bathers.
With a changing neighborhood and hard economic
times, McCarren closed in 1983 and quickly became
a haven for gangs, junkies, graffiti artists and
the homeless. During that time, Williamsburg was
a dangerous community but offered cheap rent to
artists who could no longer afford Manhattan.
Much like the histories of TriBeCa, SoHo, and the
East Village, this migration of artists brought
life, art and music into the neighborhood
eventually making Williamsburg one of the most
vibrant places to live in the world.
Architect of Dreams
Directed by: Geoff Cawthorn
"Ian
Athfield’s architectural designs dot the New
Zealand landscape keenly sought after by home
owners. Intelligent, outspoken, amusing,
opinionated and passionate, Athfield, considered
by many to be a maverick, is one of New Zealand’s
most influential creative figures who bring a
unique vision in his practice of almost 40
years.
His buildings
and his personality have helped shape our cities
and the world we live in. He has a unique highly
personal process- he works closely with clients
in an interactive way, creating sites that speak
to the landscape and to cultural and social
needs. His work reflects a distinctly New Zealand
identity.
At the heart
of Athfield’s practice is his own monumental
Athfield House on the Kandallah hillside. Part
family home, part office, a village almost, it is
a truly personal vision and Athfield has built
much of it himself, brick by brick! If only he
could have finished the kitchen by now.
Athfield
eschews iconic buildings in favour of an organic
approach which respects the sun, the site and
existing structures. Architect of Dreams is a
film that celebrates a life making buildings that
work for people"
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