FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Announcing the First Ever Resene Architecture & Design Film Festival

Rialto Cinemas and Design On Screen, a non-profit organisation that produces, distributes and preserves high-quality films on architecture and design, are pleased to announce a collaboration that has secured 20 exciting films from the world of Architecture and Design to play in Auckland.

The Resene Architecture & Design Film Festival will play from May 10 – 20 at Rialto Cinemas Newmarket and includes a number of New Zealand premieres as well as the return of some favourite films.

"We're delighted to be partnering with Rialto Cinemas on this year's Resene Architecture and Design Film Festival," says Design Onscreen's Executive Director Heather Purcell Leja.

"After presenting similar fests in Denver, Palm Springs, Moscow and Toronto, we're excited to bring the best in design films to Auckland as well."

Rialto Cinemas Group Manager Kathryn Bennett was instrumental in setting up the festival.

“Considering the historical success of films featuring an architectural or design theme, we felt there was a gap in the market and have worked over the past six months to bring this festival together.” She says. “The Resene Architecture Film Festival brings together an eclectic selection of films that showcase the best in architecture and design around the world.”

Naming rights sponsor Resene’s Marketing Manager Karen Warman says Resene is excited to be bringing the festival to New Zealand with Rialto Cinemas.

“It's a privilege to host a unique international film series in New Zealand. Resene has a long history of supporting New Zealand architecture and design and we're always looking for ways to support the industry and provide new innovation and inspiration.

“Having a film festival dedicated to architecture and design allows everyone involved in, or interested in, architecture and design to immerse themselves in films that they may not get to see otherwise. The fusion of films will help fuel new ways of looking at things, new ideas and new inspiration. Best of all, because it's being run as a film festival with normal movie ticket prices the opportunity to view these films is affordable for everyone.”

Architects are able to apply to The New Zealand Institute of Architects (Inc) for CPD Points for movies seen in the festival.

Tickets are on sale now for all films at www.rialto.co.nz.

-ENDS-

[Programme: NZ_ProgramFINALSPREADSLOWRES.pdf]

THE FILMS

Antwerp Central Station NZ Premiere

Between past and present, between dream and reality, this film presents a mildly ironic and ontemplative look at Antwerp’s Central Station, considered one of the finest examples of railway architecture in Belgium. With its architecture combining glass and metal, the Antwerp station embodies the spirit of the Industrial Revolution, which saw railway stations and railroads flourish across Europe. In the late nineteenth century, engineer Clément Van Bogaert created the 43-metre high glass dome designed by architect Louis de la Censerie to keep the smoke from the steam locomotives away from travellers. The film presents a kaleidoscopic impression of the station, with

an ongoing interplay of its historical, realistic and poetic dimensions. Winner of the Grand Prize at the Festival of International Films on Art (ARTFIFA), 2011.

Bauhaus: Model and Myth

Founded in Weimar in 1919, the Bauhaus school sought to reconcile the arts and crafts and create a new aesthetic that would serve industry. It became the twentieth century’s most important school of art, design and architecture. The faculty included leading artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Lyonel Feininger, Paul Klee and Oskar Schlemmer, and architects such as Walter Gropius and Mies van der Rohe. Using remarkable interviews with surviving Bauhas alumni, this film looks at the post-World War I origins of the Bauhaus and its revolutionary influence. In the process, it reveals the real story behind the school’s closing and the political collusion among some of its members under Nazi Germany. Winner of the Stewart Award for Best Design Film, ARTFIFA 2011.

Citizen Architect: Samuel Mockbee and the Spirit of Rural Studio

Citizen Architect documents the impact of Auburn University’s Rural Studio and its founding architect, Samuel “Sambo” Mockbee. The Rural Studio transports student architects out of classroom theory and into poverty-stricken Hale County, Alabama, where they build houses for the

area’s neediest residents. This “thought-provoking and understated documentary” follows the construction of a new home for the charismatic local character “Music Man”, while exploring the ideas behind Sambo’s initiative and the place of architects and architecture in the modern world. The film also features many of the Rural Studio’s other projects including new fire stations, pavilions, and chapels built almost entirely of tires – all elegantly designed and built with Sambo’s spirit of social responsibility in mind.

“What the Rural Studio does is a godsend and “Citizen Architect” is nearly as elegant as the architecture it presents.” – IFC.com

Coast Modern NZ Premiere

Filmmakers Michael Bernard and Gavin Froome take us on a journey from Los Angeles to Vancouver and from 1922 to the present exploring modernist architecture on the West Coast of North

America. A core group of architects embraced the West Coast with its particular geography and values, and they have left behind a legacy of beautiful and inspired dwellings. Today’s architects continue to explore and celebrate the principles established by their predecessors. Intimate interviews and unprecedented access to architects in the film include Barry Downs (Vancouver), Fred Bassetti (Seattle), Hernik Bull (Berkeley), Ray Kappe (LA), Michael Folonis (Santa Monica), Dion

Neutra (Los Angeles) -- son and partner of Modernist pioneer Richard Neutra,

Barbara Bestor (LA) and others. They all share their insight into the Modernist Movement, and its relevance in our lives today.

Contemporary Days – The Designs of Lucienne & Robin Day NZ Premiere

Robin and Lucienne Day transformed British design after World War II with striking furniture and textiles that signalled a new era of modernist sensibilities for everyday living. The film traces the Days’ personal and professional progression over the course of their careers, spanning more than seventy years—from their days at the Royal College of the Arts in the 1930s, through their long heyday at the forefront of British design, to their recent rediscovery by new generations of design aficionados.

Desert Utopia: Midcentury Architecture in Palm Springs NZ Premiere

This documentary traces the origins and growth of midcentury architecture in the modernist mecca of Palm Springs, California. The city boasts many landmark buildings by such modernist pioneers as Richard Neutra, Albert Frey, E. Stewart Williams, Donald Wexler, William Cody and William Krisel. Jake Gorst’s film brings these unique structures alive and features never-before-seen archival

footage of the architects and construction.

The Gruen Effect: Victor Gruen and the Shopping Mall NZ Premiere

In The Gruen Effect, an architect’s life, work, and critical humor become a means to make sense of the cities we live in today. The Viennese architect Victor Gruen is considered the father

of the shopping mall. His ideas about urban planning, both influential and abused, have led to cities that serve the new gods of consumption. By tracing Gruen’s path from prewar Vienna to 1950s’ America and back to Europe in 1968, the documentary explores the themes and mistranslations

that have come to define urban life around the globe.

“Reaches way beyond Victor Gruen’s biography to explore the social, economic and ideological effects of his achievements.” -- Profil 2010

Infinite Space: The Architecture of John Lautner NZ Premiere

“The purpose of architecture,” said John Lautner, “is to create timeless, free, joyous spaces for all activities in life.” Infinite Space traces the lifelong quest of visionary genius John Lautner to create

“architecture that has no beginning and no end.” It is the story of brilliance and of a complicated life and the most sensual architecture of the 20th century. Renowned architectural filmmaker

Murray Grigor explores Lautner’s dramatic spaces with choreographed camera moves, as Lautner himself provides the commentary, speaking with insight and wit in recordings culled from

archival sources.

“The film has some spectacular shots that make the most of natural light and thus

illuminate Lautner’s work in integrating his constructions with the surrounding landscape.” – Variety

John Portman: A Life of Building NZ Premiere

Once a maverick who was nearly exiled from 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 across Asia. The film captures Portman’s approach in an intimate portrait that, by turn, assesses and appreciates Portman’s work.

“This brand-new documentary explains how entrepreneurship and architecture can go hand in hand.” – Theo Hauben

Journeyman Architect: The Life and Work of Donald Wexler NZ Premiere

During the 1950s and 60s, Donald Wexler pioneered commercial and residential construction using steel. Wexler applied his groundbreaking techniques and unique style to hundreds of structures, including the Palm Springs Airport, the Contemporary Resort at Disneyworld, and projects for clients

such as Dinah Shore and Frank Sinatra. Today his work provides inspiration for a new generation of architects. This film won the coveted Audience Award in the Art, Architecture and Design

Category at the 2010 Newport Beach Film Festival.

Mission Statements: The Architecture of Dutch Diplomacy NZ Premiere

In 1991, the Netherlands Foreign Ministry began commissioning prominent Dutch architects, including Rem Koolhaas, Lafour & Wijk, and Claus & Kaan, to design new embassies around

the world. The buildings reflected the originality of Dutch architecture, but were also meant to represent the modern approach of Dutch diplomacy. International critics rewarded this new

mission architecture with both praise and prizes. 20 years later the project was stopped for economic and political reasons. Mission Statements tells the story of the four most striking of the

new embassies: Suriname, Germany, Mozambique and Ethiopia – presenting a candid view of daily embassy life as well as humorous insights into the gap between intent and execution in both diplomacy and architecture.

Modern Tide: Midcentury Architecture on Long Island NZ Premiere

Using rare archival material and gorgeous cinematography, this film explores the work of the region’s best postwar architects, including Albert Frey, Frank Lloyd Wright, Edward Durrell

Stone, Marcel Breuer, Andrew Geller, Philip Johnson, Charles Gwathmey and Barbara and Julian Neski. Redevelopment and natural disaster have eroded Long Island’s rich heritage of midcentury modern architecture. Modern Tide aims to foster renewed appreciation for Long Island’s architectural gems.

Oscar Niemeyer, A Vida E Um Sopro (Life is a Breath)

Oscar Niemeyer is one of the most important figures in international modern architecture—and in 2009, he turned 102. In this program, he reflects on his long life and prolific output, with a focus on his buildings in Brazil’s capital city, Brasília.

Philip Johnson: Diary of an Eccentric Architect NZ Premiere

“My place in New Canaan is...a diary of an eccentric architect.” Thus begins a fascinating look into the mind of one of the 20th century’s most creative and significant architects. Philip Johnson lived

at the forefront of stylistic change, and his “Glass House” property in New Canaan, Connecticut served as a kind of laboratory where Johnson became his own best client. The Glass House

has no walls, and the landscape became “expensive wallpaper.” An accompanying guesthouse, by contrast, has no windows. The film reveals a candid and irreverent Johnson at work and underscores the importance of the architectural act -- actual construction -- and how the buildings interact with

their environment.

“Shot at the time when Johnson was contemplating a building with no straight lines, [the film] concentrates on this endeavor, as buildings and nature continue to interact outside his home in New

Canaan.” – The New York Times

The Pruitt-Igoe Myth NZ Premiere

The Pruitt-Igoe Myth tells the story of the transformation of the American city in the decades after World War II, through the lens of the infamous Pruitt-Igoe housing development and

the St. Louis residents who called it home. It began as a housing marvel. Built in 1956, Pruitt-Igoe was heralded as the model public housing project of the future, “the poor man’s penthouse.”

Two decades later, it ended in rubble - its razing an iconic event that the architectural theorist Charles Jencks famously called “the death of Modernism”. The images of its implosion

have helped to perpetuate a myth of failure that has been used to critique Modernist architecture, attack public assistance programs, and stigmatize public housing residents. The Pruitt-Igoe

Myth seeks to set the historical record straight. To examine the interests involved in Pruitt-Igoe’s creation. To re-evaluate the rumors and the stigma to implode the myth.

Rem Koolhaas - A Kind of Architect

Rem Koolhaas - A Kind of Architect is an engaging portrait of a visionary man, which takes us to the heart of his ideas. For Koolhaas what is essential is not to create individual masterpieces, but to

provoke and excite through the wide range of his activities. The filmmakers have made a visually inventive thought provoking portrait of the architect, prompting Rem Koolhaas to state “it’s

the only film about me that I have liked.”

“An architect of extraordinary talent and the profession’s reigning enfant terrible.” – The New York Times

Space Land and Time: Underground Adventures with Ant Farm NZ Premiere

Most recognized for the iconic Texas land-art piece, Cadillac Ranch, Ant Farm questioned the boundaries of architecture and everything else in the process. An independent video

documentary, this is the first film to delve into the work of the renegade 1970s art/architecture collective Ant Farm, best known for its iconic land-art piece Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX. Radical architects, video pioneers, and mordantly funny cultural commentators, the Ant Farmers created

a body of deeply subversive work that questioned everything by posing a set of creative and comedic alternatives.

Unfinished Spaces NZ Premiere

In Unfinished Spaces, Cuba’s ambitious National Art Schools project, designed by three young artists in the wake of Castro’s Revolution, is neglected, nearly forgotten, and ultimately rediscovered

as a visionary architectural masterpiece. In 1961, Castro commissioned three young architects to create a bold new project. Forty years later, the schools are in use, but remain unfinished and

decaying, as the exiled architects return to finish their unrealized dream. The film also features intimate footage of Fidel Castro, showing his devotion to creating a worldwide showcase for art.

“Lucidly filmed... a stirring study... an absorbing film” – The Hollywood Reporter

“A witty survey (and dismantling) of Cuban politics...” – The Village Voice

“A fascinating tale of visionary aesthetics and... sublime structures” – The Wall Street Journal

“Go see this film and get inspired” – The Huffington Post

Visual Acoustics: The Modernism of Julius Shulman

Narrated by Dustin Hoffman, Visual Acoustics celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the world’s greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture

to the American mainstream. Shulman, who passed away just after the film was completed in 2009, captured the work of nearly every modern and progressive architect since the 1930s,

including Frank Lloyd Wright, Richard Neutra, John Lautner and Frank Gehry.

His images epitomized the singular beauty of Southern California’s modernist movement and brought its iconic structures to the attention of the general public. This unique film is both

a testament to the evolution of modern architecture and a joyful portrait of the magnetic, whip-smart gentleman who chronicled a movement with his unforgettable images.

“This is nirvana for lovers of mid-century modern and fine-art photography” – The Los Angeles Times

William Krisel, Architect NZ Premiere

Over the course of his sixty-year career, architect William Krisel has brought modernism to the masses, designing more than 40,000 individual housing units across the U.S. The documentary explores Krisel’s life and work, including his roots in 1930s China, his groundbreaking designs for modern living, and interviews with scholars, his contemporaries and family. “I’m a firm believer that good modern design can make your life happier, more productive and more enjoyable,” says Krisel.