Keywords

Animated documentary about the building of a fictitious Catholic cathedral in thirteenth century France. Based on the book by David Macaulay, "Cathedral" references the real cathedrals of the day, looks at the challenges of building such huge structures, given the available technology of the time, explains why they were of such importance to medieval life, and how they remain so today, seven hundred years later.

Following the lives of two rural women over the course of a year, Two Museums captures the contemporary reality of sparsely populated Southwest Saskatchewan. Although the women hardly know each other and are separated by more than fifty years of age, their lives seem to run parallel across the generation gap. Each must defend her choice to remain where others have left-facing isolation, the fury of the weather and haunting remnants from the past. Allison Sambrook grew up in a small town and has never lived on a farm. She came to the town of Morse at age twenty-one and soon found herself in the position of museum curator. The Morse Museum, where she works, stands as a monument to the optimistic dream of farm life; its collection is all that remains of the waves of immigrants who settled here to try their luck at living off the land. Selma Siemens is the filmmaker's grandmother and lives alone on her farm in the area, a few miles away from where she was born. Many of the artifacts in Allison's museum are things that Selma remembers having used; she witnessed the Great Depression from a two-room shack with her parents and nine siblings, not all of whom survived. Her greatest fear is that the joys and hardships faced by her family on their farm will be completely erased by time. Her childhood home is now collapsing into the prairie, no more than shelter for birds and cattle. First-time filmmaker Lea Nakonechny intertwines the two women's stories with depth and sensitivity. The measured pace of life in Southwest Saskatchewan and all its rich detail are savoured by her camera, resulting in a uniquely cinematic documentary experience. The breathtaking landscape is fixated upon with blinding intensity; changing seasons symbolize the renewal of hope and the pangs of loss that define this beautiful but unforgiving place.

Once a maverick who was nearly run out of the American Institute of Architects, John Portman is now recognized as one of the most innovative and imitated architects ever. Over 45 years, Portman's iconic urban statements and eye-popping interiors have risen in 60 cities on four continents to redefine cityscapes in America, and skylines in China and the rest of Asia. The film captures Portman's approach in an intimate portrait that, by turn, assesses and appreciates Portman's work. Dramatic time-lapse footage shows off Portman's buildings at their best- often in moving sunlight that washes over his facades and spaces.

This highly influential film in architecture and planning circles by William H. Whyte analyzes the success and failures of urban spaces. Observing the natural order of spaces and the way people move through them, Whyte provides an intuitive critique of urban spaces and ways these spaces can be improved.

Guided by seasoned New Yorkers, political figures, and cultural connoisseurs, "Empire City" examines Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs in order to paint a portrait of the ever-evolving metropolis. Appearing to be both adaptable and stubbornly stagnant, New York is a city of juxtapositions. As our narrator notes, "The city is too big, too diverse, and too complex for anyone to comprehend. New York is many cities interlaced with one another, each in constant independent motion." In "Empire City" we see proof of this dynamic through both footage and discussion of extreme wealth, economic success and increasingly expensive real estate versus the hardships faced by the city's minorities such as people of color, immigrants, and the lower class. Leaders and residents such as David Rockefeller, Edward Koch, Norman Mailer, Jane Jacobs, and Herman Badillo offer their insight into the best and worst of New York while tenderly noting the pride and loyalty it's inhabitants hold onto.

No understanding of the modern movement in architecture is possible without knowledge of its master builder, Mies van der Rohe. Together with documentation of his life, this film shows all his major buildings, as well as rare film footage of Mies explaining his philosophy. Phyllis Lambert relates her choice of Mies as the architect for the Seagram building. Mies's achievements and continuing influence are debated by architects Robert A.M. Stern, Robert Venturi, and Philip Johnson, by former students and by architectural historians. Mies is seen in rare documentary footage.

Japanese architect, Tadao Ando, roots himself in cultural visions of space, landscape, and juxtaposition. Inspired deeply by his home and heritage, Ando proposes an international architecture that he believes can only be conceived by someone Japanese. Believing in the importance of carpentry and craftsmanship, Ando pays tribute to his culture and the way in which architecture is approached through the body. Showcasing his individuality through urban complexes, residences and chapels, Ando presents the work of his formative years, before embarking on projects in Europe and the United States.

In 1935, Frank Lloyd Wright designed a country house for the Kaufmann family over a small stream in Western Pennsylvania. He named it Fallingwater. It, perhaps more than any other building, exemplifies Wright's concept of 'Organic Architecture,' which seeks to harmonize people and nature by integrating the building, the site, and its inhabitants into a unified whole. And today, the iconic image of the house over the waterfall, remains a testament to a great architect working at the height of his career.

Images of Brasilia in its sixth year and interviews with different categories of people living in the capital. One question structures the documentary: could a fully planned city, created in the name of national development and the democratization of society, reproduce the inequalities and oppression that exist in other regions of the country?

Ram, a successful theatre artist, saves Mandar from committing suicide. He then ends up developing a special bond with Mandar and even helps solve his problems.

For the first time in history, women are designing our world. They are the rising stars in architecture-previously an all-male galaxy--and they are literally and figuratively changing the landscape. MAKING SPACE captures the compelling stories and outstanding designs of Annabelle Selldorf (NY), Farshid Moussavi (London), Odile Decq (Paris), Marianne McKenna (Toronto), and Kathryn Gustafson (Seattle & London). Without script or narration, each woman tells her own story, enhanced by the insights of commentators including Pulitzer Prize-winning architecture critic Paul Goldberger; MoMA's Peter Reed and Paola Antonelli; and others. Meryl Streep makes a special guest appearance.

This documentary is about people who live with forests in Japan and they tell the wisdom of living with the nature. The story starts from the midnight of October 2013 at Ise Jingu when the holly ceremony called 'Shikinen Sengu' was held. The ceremony is held in every 20 years for more than 1000 years and it is very connected to the forest and sustainability. After the Ise Jingu, the story goes around Japan to seek for the people who have very close relationship with the forests such as an oyster fisherman, a biologist, a composer and etc. Those people tell us why Japan has the faith with forest. Through this story, you might find the hint of how to solve the environmental problems and how you get along with this modern society.