The Resene Architecture + Design Film Festival

The first rural commune of 1960s America. Naked gardening in Finland. Frank Sinatra’s first encounter with modernism. Ian Athfield’s own monumental Athfield House in the Khandallah hillside. A 2.5-acre organic urban rooftop farm in New York City. The list goes on…

The Resene Architecture + Design Film Festival is about to get underway in Auckland, and two extremely clever ladies Clare Buchanan and Tracey Lee have beautifully curated the line up for this year.

“We really searched the globe for the latest and most engaging films, and stretched the parameters to include concepts like urban planning and city growth, as well as a sustainable focus (and some amazing gardening films too!).”

I asked the girls to choose three films that they think we should definitely grab tickets for…

BERNARDES –

The amazing tale of the rise and fall of 1960s Brazilian architect Sergio Bernardes. Once a prominent Architect for the rich and famous, Bernardes died largely anonymous. Just now the truth has been uncovered – and it’s a captivating tale with many twists and turns! A true modernist and a pioneer in his use of steel framing, enjoy the many archival images and footage of Bernardes truly prolific works.

** This is the opening night film at each location in the festival **

DROP CITY –

Drop in to the first rural commune of 1960s America. Established by a group of uni school friends (who bought the land in Trinidad, Colorado for $400) who were driven by freedom and the fuel of their ideas, Drop City became an experiment in creative, frugal living. Inspired by Buckmaster Fuller, they built dazzling geodesic structures, many made from recycled car doors.

Drop City received international attention, even from Fuller himself, and inspired a generation of other creative alternative communities. But fame led to overcrowding and confusion over the vision: eventually it was abandoned to transients. By 1973, Drop City had become the world’s first geodesic ghost town.

GARDEN LOVERS –

A beautiful film from the ‘greenscapes’ section of the festival programme, Garden Lovers documents seven Finnish couples, but manages tenderly to move beyond discussion of their seasonal chores to ideas of relationships, love, loss and the cycle of life. Curious and quietly witty (brace yourself for some nude gardening!), this is an visually gorgeous film that will be soaked up by anyone who loves gardening and, ideally, should be shared with those who garden with them.

The festival launches from May 7th in Auckland at the Rialto Cinema and runs for approximately 10 days in Wellington, Dunedin – and Christchurch too this year. The full Architecture + Design Film Festival programme is available for download [here]