Urbanism
Movies and documentaries about Cities, Architecture, Housing,right to the city and urban planning
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38 titles
- DirectorGary HustwitStarsAmanda M. BurdenRem KoolhaasNorman FosterA documentary about the design of cities, which looks at the issues and strategies behind urban design and features some of the world's foremost architects, planners, policymakers, builders, and thinkers.
- DirectorAndreas DalsgaardStarsJan GehlRob AdamsRobert DoyleHalf of the human population lives in urban areas. By 2050, this will increase to 80%. Life in a megacity is both enchanting and problematic. Today we face peak oil, climate change, loneliness and severe health issues due to our way of life. But why? The Danish architect and professor Jan Gehl has studied human behavior in cities through four decades. He has documented how modern cities repel human interaction, and argues that we can build cities in a way, which takes human needs for inclusion and intimacy into account. 'The Human Scale' meets thinkers, architects and urban planners across the globe. It questions our assumptions about modernity, exploring what happens when we put people into the centre of our planning.
- DirectorGustavo TarettoStarsJavier DrolasMiguel DedovichPilar López de AyalaMartín and Mariana are slightly damaged people who live in buildings just opposite one another. While they often don't notice each other, separation might be the very thing that brings them together.
- DirectorChad FreidrichsStarsSlyvester BrownIrvin DagenElmer Fiedler2011 "The Pruitt-Igoe Myth" explores the rise & fall of titular housing complex in St. Louis, examining racism & gov. Policies through interviews with former residents & historical footage. Ft racism, urban poverty & inequality in America.
- DirectorMatt TyrnauerStarsThomas CampanellaVincent D'OnofrioMindy FulliloveWriter and urban activist Jane Jacobs fights to save historic New York City during the ruthless redevelopment era of urban planner Robert Moses in the 1960s.
- DirectorMai IskanderA look at the lives of Egyptian trash collectors.
- DirectorEric BrickerStarsFrances AndertonWim de WitBeth Edwards HarrisNarrated by Dustin Hoffman, VISUAL ACOUSTICS celebrates the life and career of Julius Shulman, the worldÕs greatest architectural photographer, whose images brought modern architecture to the American mainstream.
- DirectorNathaniel KahnStarsEdmund BaconEdwina Pattison DanielsBalkrishna DoshiDirector Nathaniel Kahn searches to understand his father, noted architect Louis Kahn, who died bankrupt and alone in 1974.
- DirectorCarlos CarcasNorberto López AmadoStarsNorman FosterDeyan SudjicThe film traces the rise of one of the world's premier architects, Norman Foster, and his unending quest to improve the quality of life through design.
- DirectorMarkus HeidingsfelderMin TeschStarsDirk BaeckerCecil BalmondRene DaalderRarely has an architect caused as much sensation outside of the architecture community as Rem Koolhaas. His outstanding creations--such as the Dutch Embassy in Berlin, the Seattle Library and the Casa da Musica concert hall in Porto--are working examples of the Dutchman's visionary theories about architecture and urban society. But Koolhaas' work is as much about ideas as it is about constructing buildings; he is equally celebrated as a writer and social commentator. For Koolhaas, what is essential is not to create individual masterpieces, but to provoke and excite through the wide range of his activities. REM KOOLHAAS: A KIND OF ARCHITECT is an engaging portrait of a visionary man that takes us to the heart of his ideas. Directors Markus Heidingsfelder and Min Tesch have made a visually inventive, thought-provoking portrait of the architect, prompting Rem Koolhaas to state, "It's the only film about me that I have liked."
- DirectorJesper WachtmeisterStarsTadao AndôSverre FehnKristian GullichsenKOCHUU is a visually stunning film about modern Japanese architecture, its roots in the Japanese tradition, and its impact on the Nordic building tradition. Winding its way through visions of the future and traditional concepts, nature and concrete, gardens and high-tech spaces, the film explains how contemporary Japanese architects strive to unite the ways of modern man with the old philosophies in astounding constructions. KOCHUU, which translates as "in the jar," refers to the Japanese tradition of constructing small, enclosed physical spaces, which create the impression of a separate universe. The film illustrates key components of traditional Japanese architecture, such as reducing the distinction between outdoors and indoors, disrupting the symmetrical, building with wooden posts and beams rather than with walls, modular construction techniques, and its symbiotic relationship with water, light and nature. The film illustrates these concepts through remarkable views of the Imperial Katsura Palace, the Todai-Ji Temple, the Naoshima Contemporary Art Museum, the Sony Tower, numerous teahouses and gardens (see link below for complete list), as well as examples of the cross-fertilization evidenced in buildings throughout Scandinavia, and shows how 'invisible' Japanese traditions are evident even in modern, high-tech buildings. KOCHUU also features interviews with some of Japan's leading architects as well as Scandinavian contemporaries including Pritzker Prize winners Tadao Ando and Sverre Fehn, Toyo Ito, Kazuo Shinohara, Kristian Gullichsen and Juhani Pallasmaa (see link below for complete list and bios). KOCHUU is a compelling illustration of how the aesthetics of Japanese architecture and design are expressed through simple means, and also shows that the best Japanese architecture, wherever it appears, expresses spiritual qualities that enrich human life.
- DirectorSam Wainwright DouglasIn rural Alabama, architecture students cross the threshold of poverty to build communities, not just structures, and leave snakebit to make a better world.
- DirectorHiroshi TeshigaharaStarsIsidro Puig BoadaAntoni GaudíSeiji MiyaguchiThe work of Catalan architect Antonio Gaudí, as seen by Japanese New Wave director Hiroshi Teshigahara.
- DirectorSherief ElkatshaA documentary that explores the life of one of the world's most populated cities from its streets. Shot in 2009-2012 (before and during the Egyptian revolution, and ending with the most recent presidential elections), the film explores the country's collective identity, inherent struggles, and the sentiments that lead through the historic changes taking place in Egypt today. For his third documentary, Egyptian/ American filmmaker Sherief Elkatsha rides through the congested streets alongside a diverse cast of characters-from taxi drivers to ambulances, from traffic cops to private citizens-capturing the unspoken codes of conduct, frustrations, humor, fatalism, and life-or-death decisions of driving in a city where the only rule is: there are no rules.
- DirectorHind MeddebA music documentary film that covers the emergence of a new electronic genre called Mahraganat in Cairo.
- DirectorAndreas DalsgaardHow two entrepreneurial mayors have managed to transform Bogota from a polluted and overcrowded metropolis into a thriving user-friendly urban area.
- DirectorIsabelle LavigneStéphane ThibaultStarsReda Ibrahim Mohamed AliAmira Said Samir SayedBossy Said Samir SayedSeldom has Egypt's capital been so evocatively captured. A fly-on-the-wall doc exploring the mysterious and hard-knock reality of a typical Egyptian belly dancer clan in working-class Cairo. Unparalleled access to this hidden world leaves the viewer fascinated and surprised that at night they dance. - Such frankness among Arabic women is all too rare in film... - Variety
- DirectorKelly AndersonDirector Kelly Anderson's personal journey as a Brooklyn 'gentrifier' to understand the forces reshaping her neighborhood along lines of race and class. The film reframes the gentrification debate to expose the corporate actors and government policies driving displacement and neighborhood change.
- DirectorSarah Ema FriedlandBranch Brook Park Roller Rink, located in Newark, NJ, is one of the few remaining urban rinks of its kind. This concrete structure is nestled in the pit of a hill bordered by public housing and a highway. Upon first glance, the exterior resembles a fallout shelter; however, the streamers and lights of the interior are reminiscent of 1970s roller discos. This vibrant film depicts a space cherished by skaters and a city struggling to move beyond its past and forge a new narrative amidst contemporary social issues.
- DirectorImre AzemTells the story of Istanbul and other Mega-Cities on a neo-liberal course to destruction. It follows the story of a migrant family on their on-going struggle for housing rights.
- DirectorWilliam H. WhyteStarsWilliam H. WhyteThis highly influential film in architecture and planning circles by William H. Whyte analyzes the success and failures of urban spaces. Observing the natural order of spaces and the way people move through them, Whyte provides an intuitive critique of urban spaces and ways these spaces can be improved.
- DirectorGiovanni Vaz Del BelloStarsJaime LernerCassio TaniguchiNicolau KlüppelThere is hope! This inspirational documentary shows a city where urban solutions are not just theory, but a reality. The film shows innovations in the areas of transportation, recycling, social benefits (affordable housing), parks, and the great philosophy behind the successful leaders that transformed Curitiba in a model green city.
- DirectorJim BrownGary BurnsStarsDaniel JefferyBob LegareJane MacFarlaneAn examination of the nature of modern suburbia.
- DirectorJaan TootsenStarsJaan TootsenDocumentary about a community of free-willed citizens in Estonia's capital Tallinn, who decide to start shaping their own district with grassroots combat tactics against the city government. At first they are a united front but soon inner conflicts erupt and the commune has to face a new challenge. After the first battles are won, the next actions are more administrative and not all the rebels want to submit themselves to the new order. Can they still keep together or will the "New World" commune fall apart?
- DirectorMeghan EckmanStarsPatrick BaranJohn BeersChris FarinaHailed as the "most feel-good film" of the South by Southwest Film Festival 2010, The Parking Lot Movie follows a select group of artistic and overeducated parking lot attendants as they wage war against the people who park in their lot.
- DirectorJudith McBrienFew individuals have had more impact on the American city than architect and planner Daniel Hudson Burnham. In the midst of late nineteenth century urban disorder, Burnham offered a powerful vision of what a civilized American city could look like that provided a compelling framework for Americans to make sense of the world around them. He built some of the first skyscrapers in the world, directed construction of the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition that inspired the City Beautiful Movement, and created urban plans for San Francisco, Washington, DC, Chicago, Cleveland and Manila all before the profession of urban planning existed. In fact, some say that he invented it. His work sought to reconcile things often thought opposite: the practical and the ideal, business and art, and capitalism and democracy. At the center of it all was the idea of a vibrant urban community.
- DirectorConstance YorkA look at the vacant home/arson problem in the city of Detroit, through the eyes of the Detroit Firefighters who face Devil's Night every night.
- DirectorHeidi EwingRachel GradyStarsNoah StewartRachele GilmnoreMichael WankoA documentary on the city of Detroit and its woes, which are emblematic of the collapse of the U.S. manufacturing base.
- DirectorJanice FinchStarsAndrew Gilligan
- DirectorVladimir TeneslavStarsFlorin MarzaVlad DanilaAlex ArdeleanThe movie illustrates a down town chase of a trained parkour runner that apparently holds a package of somewhat importance for some local mysterious men in suits.
- DirectorOndi TimonerStarsBjørn LomborgHashem AkbariJoe BartonA documentary that takes an alternative approach to dealing with the global warming crisis.
- DirectorDavid M. EdwardsStarsThomas S. AhlbrandtJustin BarrDena BelzerWith more than 250 million cars and trucks on the road and the demand for oil out pacing the Earth's ability to supply it, have we now become slaves to this unsustainable freedom?
- 2006– 26mTV-G6.9 (7)TV EpisodeDirectorTad FettigStarsBrad PittDutch planners tap into their innate design sensibility and the industrial landscape to create a sustainable development in Amsterdam's abandoned dockyards, Borneo Sporenburg. Offering an alternative to the trappings of suburban sprawl, the development maximizes space while maintaining privacy, and uses the vast waterways as core landscape design elements.
- DirectorLucy WalkerKaren HarleyJoão JardimStarsVik MunizOn the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro is Jardim Gramacho, the world's largest landfill, where men and women sift through garbage for a living. Artist Vik Muniz produces portraits of the workers and learns about their lives.
- DirectorScott Hamilton KennedyStarsDanny GloverDaryl HannahAntonio VillaraigosaFrom the ashes of the L.A. riots arose a lush, 14-acre community garden, the largest of its kind in the United States. Now bulldozers threaten its future.