Tuesday, October 29, 2024
After 4 amazing days of film screenings, Q&As, and panel discussions, the 6th annual Architecture and Design Film Festival Toronto has come to a close.
Originating in New York 16 years ago, the Architecture and Design Film Festival is the largest festival of its kind in North America, entertaining and educating audiences on topics of architecture and design. Held at the iconic TIFF Lightbox, this year’s festival featured 16 thought-provoking films including the world premiere of Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between the Lines and the Canadian premieres of several titles such as Stardust: The Story of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown and Schindler Space Architect. A common theme throughout this year’s festival were the people behind great spaces, reflecting on the personal and often complex lives of legendary architects and designers.
The TSA is a proud partner of this annual event, providing logistical, volunteer and programming support.
Complementing this year’s film selection were three post-screening discussions organized by the TSA. In a discussion moderated by Dave LeBlanc of The Globe and Mail, Kfir Gluzberg of Kilogram Studio and Anne-Marie Armstrong of A-AMP Studio reflected on the work and legacy of R.M. Schindler. Matthew Hickey of Two Row Architect and Craig Applegath of DIALOG spoke on the importance of nature as a teacher during a panel discussion moderated by Elizabeth Pagliacolo of Azure. Finally, Stefan Novakovic of Azure guided us in an inspiring discussion with Janna Levitt of LGA, David Constable of Kindred Works, and Giovanna Borasi of the Canadian Centre of Architecture on the challenges and opportunities of building differently to support living together.
In addition to films and discussions, this year we also introduced a free opportunity to tour TIFF’s neighbourhood and learn about the shape and history of some of our city’s most iconic entertainment venues. The tour was led by our Executive Director Joël León and included stops at the Royal Alexandra Theatre, Roy Thomson Hall, CBC, and—of course—the TIFF Lightbox.
We want to take a moment to say thank you to all those who made ADFF Toronto possible, including the hundreds of attendees that came out to support the festival and our amazing panelists and moderators who brought such insightful post-screening conversations. We also want to give a special shout out to our event volunteers who welcomed attendees and answered their many questions, as well as to the TSA Film Committee—Ralph Holmes, Michelle Chan, Alireza Partovi, Domitillah Antoinee, Samuel Forrest, and Kurtis Chen—for all the behind-the-scenes work of screening films and putting together this year’s panels. There are many moving parts to making a festival this complex possible, and we want to recognize the efforts of TSA Programming Coordinator Rebecca Pike for the smooth running of this partnership event.
Last but certainly not least, we want to give a special thanks to festival founder and director Kyle Bergman and his team for the ongoing partnership and giving us the opportunity to be part of such a special event.
The festival will now make its way to Vancouver and Los Angeles, so make sure to let your friends know! We look forward to having ADFF back in Toronto in 2025!