The festival will present 20 films about architecture

Prague - The festival Film and Architecture will present twenty films about architecture, urbanism, and design, starting today in 22 cities across the Czech Republic and Slovakia. The ninth edition of the festival carries the subtitle Hidden Stories and will showcase a selection of auteur films that reveal the stories and problems associated with architecture and urbanism. The festival will run until October 7 at the Světozor cinema and CAMP in Prague, as well as in selected regional cities.

"Architecture does not exist without humans. Behind the walls of buildings and urban plans lie human stories that the selected films unveil," stated the festival's dramaturge, Martina Freitagová.

The showcase will feature, among others, the world premiere of the film Making a Mountain about a Danish waste incinerator designed by architect Bjarke Ingels, who has been named one of Time magazine's 100 most influential people in the world. There will also be online debates and discussions with personalities from the world of architecture, as well as a music evening presenting music videos related to architecture.

In the case of the Amager Bakke incinerator in Copenhagen, the Danish studio BIG Bjarke Ingels has combined a waste incinerator with a ski slope and a climbing wall. After the screening, visitors will have the opportunity to chat online directly with Ingels.

There will be no shortage of premieres in the subsequent festival days either. Visitors can look forward to the freshly completed film Aalto about the legend of modern architecture from Finland, Alvar Aalto, or embark on an unconventional architectural road trip Tokyo Ride with one of the founders of the globally recognized studio SANAA. One section of the festival is dedicated to significant women in architecture.

The Film and Architecture festival aims to stimulate discussions about architecture and urbanism through screenings of international and Czech auteur documentaries, accompanied by debates with directors, architects, and urban planners. The festival takes place concurrently with the Architecture Day festival, which this year celebrates its tenth anniversary. Both festivals are organized by the Kruh association, which is dedicated to promoting contemporary architecture in both the world and the Czech Republic.