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
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
schedule
→ pdf schedule
27.06
tuesday
17h15
soft-opening session
→ what it takes to make a home [29' doc, trilogy 1]
→ when we live alone
[27' doc, trilogy 2]
introduction by giovanna borasi [CCA director]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
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
rare finds from the CCA collection
→ film for house IV
[4' doc]
→ high court portico
[13' doc]
→ conical intersect [41' doc]
→ forth-bridge-cinema metric space
[4' doc]
debate with giovanna borasi [CCA] and justin jaeckle [doclisboa, architecture foundation]
batalha -
sala 2
[screening]29.06
thursday
12h30
—
14h30
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]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