Upcoming Events

ADFF – North America’s largest film festival dedicated to architecture and design – is coming to Toronto!

The Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF), celebrates the unique creative spirit that drives architecture and design. With a curated selection of films, events and panel discussions, ADFF creates an opportunity to entertain, engage and educate all types of people who are excited about architecture and design.

For their inaugural year in Toronto, the TSA is partnering with ADFF to bring a series of panel discussions and post-screening Q&As that compliment this year’s film roster. See below a list of film screenings where TSA panel discussions and Q&A’s will be taking place, bringing together subject-matter experts, film creators and architects to speak on the issues highlighted in each film and bring them into a Canadian context. All discussions will be followed by a post-screening informal mix and mingle at TIFF’s lounge, providing an opportunity for one-to-one conversations with our panelists!

Rams | Friday, November 15 | 7:00 PM

Rams is filmmaker Gary Hustwit’s new documentary about legendary designer Dieter Rams. For over fifty years, Rams has left an indelible mark on the field of product design with his iconic work at Braun and Vitsoe, and his influence on Apple. So at 86 years old, why does he now regret being a designer? Rams is a design documentary, but it’s also a rumination on consumerism, materialism, and sustainability. Dieter’s philosophy is about more than just design, it’s about a way to live. The film also features an original score by pioneering musician Brian Eno.

Post-Screening Panel:

• Helen Kerr, KerrSmith Design
• Lee Fletcher, Fig40
• Jutta Brendemühl, Program Curator Goethe-Institut Toronto (Moderator)

Integral Man | Saturday, November 16 | 1:00 PM

After Euclid, Toronto’s Jim Stewart is the most published mathematician in the world. Stewart spent a decade and a small fortune building the home of his dreams to reflect his two obsessions: curves and music. The completed home, called Integral House, provides him with both. A stunning architectural gem of subtly curved wood and vast, evocative spaces, the house stands in Toronto’s Rosedale neighborhood and is considered by many one of the city’s best performance spaces. Stewart took joy in hosting his trademark musical evenings with world-class guests, including the likes of Grammy–nominated Canadian soprano Measha Brueggergosman, featured in the film. This debut film by landscape designer and artist Joseph Clement is an impressive work of art with its masterful combination of beautiful soundscapes and gorgeous architectural details. It ultimately delivers a finely crafted portrait of Stewart and his beloved home.

Post-Screening Q&A:

• Brigitte Shim, Shim-Sutcliffe Architects
• Joseph Clement, Director
• Elsa Lam, Canadian Architect (Moderator)

Design Canada | Saturday, November 16 | 3:15 PM

Through the lens of graphic design, Design Canada follows the transformation of a nation from a colonial outpost to a vibrant and multicultural society. What defines a national identity, is it an anthem? A flag? Is it a logo or icon? How do these elements shape who we are? In the 1960s and 1970s, these questions were answered by an innovative group of Canadian designers, who used design to unify the nation.

Post-Screening Panel:

• Udo Schliemann, Entro Communications
• Nigel Smith, KerrSmith Design
• Diti Katona, Concrete
• Arndt Klos, Vigilantes
• Esther Shipman, Culture Viewfinder (Moderator)

Frank Gehry: Building Justice | Saturday, November 16 | 6:00 PM

Architect Frank Gehry and philanthropist George Soros wanted to look at what it would mean to re-design the American prison for a time in the future, a time of low incarceration in the United States. Frank recognized that he was was never going to be commissioned to design an actual prison. Instead, he and Soros decided to get the dialogue started by running a series of master’s classes at the Southern California Institute of Architecture and the Yale School of Architecture with the students tackling the difficult and complex social, political and aesthetic issues behind incarceration and prison design. Frank and the students were guided in part by social justice organization Impact Justice. The film, Frank Gehry: Building Justice examines both the criminal justice system and the issue of prison design through the students’ point of view, as they look into the future of American incarceration policy.

Post-Screening Panel:

• Dr. Jennifer Kilty, Chair of Criminology, University of Ottawa
• Rachel Fayter, PhD. Candidate, Department of Criminology, University of Ottawa
• Edward Chan, Zeidler Architecture
• Peter Sobchak, Building magazine and Canadian Interiors (Moderator)

PUSH | Sunday, November 17 | 12:45 PM

PUSH is a new documentary from award-winning director Fredrik Gertten, investigating why we can’t afford to live in our own cities anymore. Housing is a fundamental human right, a precondition to a safe and healthy life. But in cities all around the world, having a place to live is becoming more and more difficult. Who are the players and what are the factors that make housing one of today’s most pressing world issues?

Post-Screening Panel:

• John Van Nostrand, SvN
• Alex Bozikovic, The Globe and Mail
• Ian Chodikoff (Moderator)

The Human Shelter | Sunday, November 17 | 3:30 PM

The documentary The Human Shelter is an anthropological and poetic journey, which investigates how we, as human beings, create our homes. In a sentient and playful way, the film explores our idea of the concept of ‘home’. During the film we travel to some of the world’s extremities concerning climate change, growing megacities and conflict zones. Those exact places where we, as humans, are challenged in the world right now. Here, the film glimpses at people’s ability to live and express themselves poetically when creating a home. No matter if you live in a lagoon settlement in Lagos, in a refugee camp in Iraq or in six square metres dwelling in Tokyo.

Post-Screening Panel:

• Heather Dubbeldam, Dubbeldam Architecture + Design
• Anita Matusevics, Wonder Incorporated
• Katja Aga Sacshe Thom, Agathom
• Stefan Novakovic, Azure (Moderator)

Mario Botta: The Space Beyond | Sunday, November 17 | 6:00 PM

This documentary directed and produced by Loretta Dalpozzo and Michèle Volontè is a rare, in-depth artistic journey into the work of internationally acclaimed Swiss Architect Mario Botta. The film explores Botta’s ever growing curiosity and reflections on the contradictions of society, through his sacred spaces. Why does a globalized society feel the urge to build such spaces?

Post-Screening Panel:

• Daniel Teramura, Moriyama and Teshima
• Roberto Chiotti, Larkin Architect
• Stephen Teeple, Teeple Architects
• Monica Contreras, Institute Without Borders, George Brown College (Moderator)

Looking for other movie times and options? ADFF Toronto has a large roster of films, many of them with multiple screening times! Learn more about this year’s programming on their website.

The Toronto Society of Architects is a proud Industry Partner of the Architecture and Design Film Festival Toronto 2019.