it is by far the most ambitious program ever. The films have one thing in common. Architecture is always the protagonist. For its sixth edition, the AFFR has therefore opted for the most spectacular part of Rotterdam: the new LantarenVenster of architect Álvaro Siza at the Wilhelminapier.
The horror film Wolfen (Michael Wadleigh, 1981) and the horror comedy Homebodies (Larry Yust, 1974) are examples of cult classics that are not initially at home at an architecture film festival. But these films uncover the powers within the city and the battle between megalomaniac plans versus individuals within a setting of blight and demolition in the seventies and eighties. What else can you expect? The slogan this year is 'Think Big, Act Small’ because grass-root initiatives in the city offer new perspectives for a global society. This main program screens documentaries about do-it-yourself urban development, sustainable living and heroic actions for cultural statements or against monstrous plans. There are also the latest films, such as new biographies of famous architects (including Norman Foster and Louis Sullivan) and several festive premieres. The film program takes the viewer from oil platforms in the Caspian Sea via adolescents in a '50s suburb to enchanting places at the seaside.
The AFFR announces a few recommendations Wolfen (Michael Wadleigh, 1981) - a horror film from the 80s, with a brilliant set of the now demolished South Bronx in New York
Homebodies (Larry Yust, 1974) – horror comedy with a group of elderly people who live in a flat in Cincinnati. They resist its demolition with the slogan ‘A murder a day keeps the landlord away’.
My Playground (Kaspar Astrup Schröder, 2009)- documentary about free runners and skaters in Copenhagen and their relationship with architect Bjarke Ingels
The Man Next Door (Gastón Duprat and Mariano Cohn, 2009) - a touching film about a neighbor dispute in the only existing Le Corbusier Villa in South America.
Slapstick Program - Laurel & Hardy, Harold Lloyd and Buster Keaton prove that architecture and architects can be funny.
Medianeras (Gustavo Tarrento, 2011) – this light comic essay about life in the modern city Buenos Aires has its Dutch avant premiere at the AFFR.
Lost Town (Jörg Adolph, 2009) - two young German architects win a design contest at the English coast. Now what? Utopia London (Tom Cordell, 2010) – a virtuosic film about the ambitious and idealistic housing programs in London 1939-1970.
In Comparison (Harun Farocki, 2009) - the basics of building: a poetic film about both the traditional and innovative uses of bricks.
Antwerp Central (Peter Krüger, 2011) - breath-taking images of the most beautiful station in Europe, as part of a themed program on stations in the Dutch DeltaMetropolis Association.
Location The surrounding highrise of the Rotterdam LantarenVenster, designed by renowned architects is the perfect location for the AFFR. Álvaro Siza, Renzo Piano, Norman Foster and Rem Koolhaas and many others will prominently be present in film or debate.
Practical information Movie tickets cost € 8.50 (regular) / € 7.50 (on presentation of student card, CJP or 65 + pass holders). Day tickets € 25. The presale starts on September 26. Tickets are available at the box office of LantarenVenster (010-2772277).
Thursday October 6 to Sunday, October 9 in LantarenVenster, Rotterdam www.affr.nl
