The Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) is set to captivate audiences with its most expansive global lineup to date. The 18th edition of this celebrated event will commence on October 12, 2026 with an opening night screening at The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City. This year’s festival promises to delve into the evolution of architectural thought and the challenges faced by contemporary designers.
The festival will feature a diverse range of films, from intimate portraits of renowned architects to explorations of innovative housing experiments. With screenings in cities such as Toronto, Vancouver, Mumbai, Detroit, and Chicago ADFF aims to engage a global audience in discussions about the future of architecture and design.
Themes and Highlights of the 2026-2027 Season
The 2026-2027 season of ADFF is organized around several compelling themes, each explored through a selection of thought-provoking films. These themes include the reinterpretation of historical movements the role of adaptive reuse in environmentalism and the ongoing experiments in housing and urban development.
Revisiting Historical Movements
Several films in this year’s lineup revisit significant architectural movements, shedding light on overlooked figures and perspectives. bauhaus forever. directed by Nico Weber, offers a fresh look at the Bauhaus movement through the lens of the Bauhaus-Archiv in Berlin. Meanwhile, Googie directed by Jake Gorst, challenges the conventional view of the space-age architecture of 1950s and ’60s Los Angeles.
The film Out of the Picture directed by An. Ash Smolar, addresses the erasure of women architects from the field’s official record. This film opens with the 1991 Pritzker Prize, awarded to Robert Venturi alone, despite Denise Scott Brown’s equal partnership in their firm. It builds from there into a wider reckoning with the women architects written out of the field’s history.
Adaptive Reuse and Environmentalism
The festival also highlights the importance of adaptive reuse as a method of environmentalism. The U.S. premiere of Barbara Buser – Swiss Pioneer of Sustainability directed by Gabriele Schärer, showcases the work of Basel-based architect Barbara Buser. Known for her innovative approach to repurposing industrial buildings, Buser’s work exemplifies the potential of adaptive reuse in creating sustainable architecture.
Housing Experiments and Urban Development
Several films in the lineup follow buildings as ongoing social experiments. COPAN directed by Carine Wallauer, captures a contested election for building administrator inside Oscar Niemeyer’s 5,000-resident São Paulo housing block, set against the backdrop of Brazil’s national election. Similarly, The Tingbjerg Experiment directed by Louise Detlefsen, follows a Copenhagen developer’s plan to move Danish families into one of the city’s most stigmatized housing districts.
Máximapark – From Greenhouses to a Living Landscape directed by Hans den Hartog, tracks the community-driven transformation of a Dutch market-garden district into public gardens and shared land. These films offer a glimpse into the complex dynamics of urban development and the role of architecture in shaping communities.
World Premieres and Notable Screenings
The festival will open with the world premiere of MUNDO FRÁGIL a portrait of 2026 Pritzker laureate Smiljan Radić, directed by Ila Bêka and Louise Lemoine. This intimate film captures Radić’s thoughts and experiences, providing an unguarded portrait of the architect before his rise to global status. Following the opening night screening, Radić and the filmmakers will participate in a conversation moderated by Martino Stierli, The Philip Johnson Chief Curator of Architecture and Design at MoMA.
Another world premiere, Five Living Buildings (by Renzo Piano) directed by Jonathan Goodman Levitt, follows the inhabitants of five Renzo Piano Building Workshop landmarks across four continents. This film offers a unique perspective on the impact of architecture on the lives of its occupants.
The festival will also feature the New York premiere of Googie directed by Jake Gorst, which argues that the much-mocked style of 1950s and ’60s Los Angeles deserves a serious second look. Additionally, the U.S. premiere of The Tower That Built A City directed by Mark Myers, explores the relationship between Toronto’s CN Tower and its surroundings.
With its diverse lineup of films and thought-provoking themes, the Architecture & Design Film Festival promises to be an unforgettable event for architecture and design enthusiasts. The full ADFF:NY schedule will be available at beginning September 1st, when tickets go on sale.
