PT

where life happens


‘Where Life Happens’, the theme of the 10th edition of Arquiteturas Film Festival, reflects on architecture beyond the built form. The idea that architecture is capable of transforming cities and societies is widely accepted, but it is the actions of the people who inhabit and give meaning to architecture that carry the greatest weight in these processes.

In its 10th edition, Arquiteturas Film Festival harnesses the power of moving images as a tool for promoting architecture. As well as film screenings, the festival programme features talks, tours and installations, which act as a springboard for more in-depth discussions of the themes and research behind the films.

Arquiteturas Film Festival is organised by INSTITUTO and directed by architect Paulo Moreira. Founded in 2018, INSTITUTO is a Porto-based platform for discussing and disseminating architecture and its intersections with the visual and spatial arts, critical thinking and interdisciplinary collaborations.

The festival will take place over five days, from 27 June to 1 July 2023, and will be divided into three main sections: Official Programme, Guest Institution Programme and Competition Programme. Each section is associated with different venues, creating a network between various places in the city: Batalha Centro de Cinema, Casa Comum, INSTITUTO, Bolhão Market, Albergues do Porto and Circo de Ideias.



→ instituto
[festival organiser]



INSTITUTO is a focal point for different forms of cultural expression, located in the heart of Porto. The team’s interests and backgrounds have given rise to a programme that diverges from the field of architecture to encompass the visual and spatial arts, critical thinking and multidisciplinary collaborations. We seek to encourage the creation and exploration of new contemporary discourses through interdisciplinarity, the informality of the space and the will to tackle burning issues in today’s society.

Since 2021, INSTITUTO has taken up the challenge of organising and reinventing the former Arquiteturas Film Festival. Now in Porto, the festival is cementing its reputation as an international platform for discussing and disseminating architectural production through films, exhibitions and debates.

→ cca
[guest institution]



The CCA is an international research institution and museum premised on the belief that architecture is a public concern. Through its collection, exhibitions, public programs, publications, films, and research opportunities, the CCA advances knowledge, promotes public understanding, and widens thought and debate on architecture, its history, theory, practice, and its role in society today.

The CCA collection documents the culture and production of architecture worldwide from the Renaissance through the present day, including, among many others, the archives of Peter Eisenman, Arthur Erickson, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander, John Hejduk, Gordon Matta-Clark, Cedric Price, Aldo Rossi, James Stirling, Pierre Jeanneret, Abalos & Herreros and Foreign Office Architects.

Founded as a new type of cultural institution by Phyllis Lambert in 1979, the CCA is currently directed by Giovanna Borasi.




venues





people


raquel pais
[programme coordinator]
sara pinheiro
[project manager]
mira samonig
[production]
thaís andrade
[production]
elisa alvarez
[production assistant]
joana graça
[production assistant]
nuno silva
[production assistant]
rossana nando
[production assistant]
julia albani
[communication consultant]
eleanor staniforth
[translation]
ivo tavares
photography
raquel rocha
photography
[guest artist]
joão queirós
[graphic design]

infos for tickets and registration



AFF is an international festival held in—and for—the city of Porto, which is open to both residents and visitors. The films are spoken in several languages [all films have English subtitles].

Some sessions are affordably priced, while others are completely free. At Batalha Centro de Cinema, tickets cost 5€ [normal], 3.75€ [members of Ordem dos Arquitectos and Tripass card holders] or 2.50€ [Porto. card holders, students, people aged over 65 and unemployed people].

Entry to the sessions at Casa Comum and Circo de Ideias is free. At INSTITUTO, the format varies, with free events including ‘Drinks with Directors’ from 22h30. Entry to the pop-up bar and the CCA installation is also free and open to the public from 18h00. The ‘Lunchtime Toasts’ include lunch and are priced at 10€, with a limited number of places available.




free of charge
→ competition programme
@ casa comum
→ installation ‘what role can film have as a curatorial tool?’
→ drinks with directors
→ pop-up bar
@ instituto
→ debate ‘film & publishing’
@ circo de ideias


tickets [5€ / 3.75€*/ 2.50€ **]
soft-opening session
opening session
porto session
rare finds from the CCA collection
awarded films sessions

→ closing sessions

batalha centro de cinema

[available at batalha ticket office]



* available for members of ordem dos arquitectos, tripass holders
** discounted tickets available for Porto. card holders, students, visitors >65, unemployed people



→ enjoy a 10% discount at gharb during the festival week by mentioning ‘arquiteturas film festival’


schedule




→ pdf schedule



27.06
tuesday



17h15

batalha -
sala 2

[screening]

19h15

opening session
→ where we grow older [30' doc, trilogy 3]

debate with giovanna borasi [CCA, film director] and daniel schwartz [film director], welcoming and moderation by paulo moreira [festival director]

batalha -
sala 1

[screening]





28.06
wednesday



12h30

14h30

lunchtime toast

debate with guests and members of the CCA
[ upon sign-up, until 23.06]

instituto

[installation,  lunch, debate]

15h45

18h30

porto tour
albergues do porto - mercado do bolhão 

with sara nunes [building pictures] and nuno valentim [architect] as guests
[ upon sign-up, until 27.06]

meeting point:  praça dos leões

[guided walk]

19h15

20h30

porto session

→ albergues noturnos do porto [3' doc]
→ de volta à cidade [30' doc]

debate with sara nunes [director, building pictures], nuno valentim [architect], laudelino de jesus [albergues do porto] and paula silva [vendor from bolhão]

batalha -
sala 1

[screening]

21h15

22h45



batalha -
sala 2

[screening]

18h00

01h00

pop-up bar and installation [>18h00]

drinks with directors [>22h30]





29.06
thursday



12h30


14h30


lunchtime toast

debate with guests and members of the CCA
[ upon sign-up, until 23.06]

instituto

[installation, lunch, debate]

15h45


16h50


competition session #futures

This session provides a thought-provoking exploration of human experience, environmental sustainability, and social activism. Each film presents a powerful message, urging viewers to become active members of their communities.

→ topiaskop [7' exp]

→ gypsum concrete [7' doc]

→ a world to shape [52’ doc]

casa comum

[screening]

17h15


18h45


competition session #symphonies

This session explores the boundary between public space and intimacy. Lines provides a fascinating insight into everyday life in the rapidly changing city of Bratislava and The Opening fantasizes what the life of a newly build office building might come to be.

→ the opening [10' fic] Q&A with director

→ lines [80' doc]

casa comum

[screening]

19h15

20h45

→ film & publishing

debate with pedro baía [circo de ideias], magda seifert [circo de ideias], giovanna borasi [CCA] and francisco ferreira [revista JACK]

circo
de ideias

[debate]

21h15

22h45

competition session #empathy

The newest film by BekaLemoine explores the work of Thai architect Boonserm Premthada, who is deaf from birth. The film highlights how Premthada's disability led him to develop a unique way of hearing through his whole body, similar to how elephants perceive sound. Through this approach, Premthada has developed an innovative architecture of the senses.

→ big ears listen with feet [93' doc]

casa comum

[screening]

18h00

01h00

pop up bar and installation [>18h00]
drinks with directors [>22h30]





30.06 
friday



15h45

16h40

competition session #materials

This session offers a range of perspectives and styles, inviting viewers to engage with complex themes and ideas through innovative storytelling techniques – The passage of time, augmented reality, politics of power and the reconstruction of an urban identity.

→ reconstrução[12' exp] Q&A with director
→ shafāfiyyāh [15' exp]
→ how the wooden structures survived in my mind [9' exp]

→ hood140 [18' fic] Q&A with director

casa comum

[screening]

17h15


18h45


competition session #communities

This session offers a view on distinct society and culture ways of living. They follow the complexities of the world around us where displacement, freedom, community, and love play a crucial role in the quality of the relationship between people and space.

→ neighbourhood unit [8' exp] Q&A with director
→ 13 square meters [15' doc] Q&A with director

→ the village of lovers [68' doc] 

casa comum

[screening]

19h15

20h25

competition session #memory

In this session the films explore the topic of collective and individual memories of space and sound, as well as their visual documentation. To experience architecture, nature, topography, and intergenerational dialogue, they make us travel to places like China, Norway, and Mallorca in their own unique cinematic ways.

→ on the margins [12' doc] Q&A with directors
→ 3x shapes of home [7' doc]
→ light without sun [52' doc]

casa comum

[screening]

21h15

22h40

competition session #femalegaze

This session offers a diverse range of perspectives on a variety of themes, from gender and identity to sustainability and environmentalism. Each film invites viewers to think critically about the world around us and the ways in which we can work to make a positive impact.

→ women in architecture [20' doc]
→ 2ª pessoa [16' fic]
→ earthbound: nzambi matee [48' doc]

casa comum

[screening]

18h00

01h00

pop-up bar and installation [>18h00]
drinks with directors [>22h30]

instituto





01.07
saturday



15h45

16h45

AFF 10 years in review
and awards ceremony '23

presentation by sofia mourato [AFF founder] and paulo moreira [festival director] 
awards will be announced and granted by the jury

batalha -
bar


17h15

awarded films
session 1

screenings will be announced on the 30.06

batalha -
sala 2


19h15

awarded films
session 2

screenings will be announced on the 30.06

batalha -
sala 2


21h15

23h15

batalha -
sala 2


18h00

23h00

pop-up bar and installation 


23h00

01h00

closing party

with dj bruma

batalha -
bar