DIFF to share in World Congre of Architects

The week after Durban International Film Festival ends, the city of Durban will be hosting the World Congress of Architects at UIA2014, and Durban International Film Festival is delighted to announce its participation in the momentous and exciting event.

Since film is an invaluable medium for the preservation the built heritage of cities, as well as the exploration of challenges within an urban environment, and the documenting achievements, DIFF will team up with the UIA2014 and the Architect Africa Film Festival to present an exciting range of films showcasing architecture and its relationship to society at the 25th World Congress on Architecture, UIA2014 Durban, to be held at the International Convention Centre Durban (ICC) from 3-7 August 2014.

- A stream of feature films, as well as several short films, will be showcased at the UIA2014 World Congress, to inspire and entertain audiences, and generate conversations around issues relevant to the Congress themes of Resilience, Ecology and Values.

Keep an eye on www.uia2014durban.org for details of screenings during UIA2104 (3 - 7 August)

- Further, in anticipation of this momentous occasion, DIFF 2014 has also included in its festival programme (currently running from 17-27 July) a selection of films that explore architecture from a variety of angles: Cathedrals of Culture begins with the question If buildings could talk, what would they say about us?, and offers six startling responses from six filmmakers from around the world. Great Expectations presents the grand architectural visions of our time, from the functionalist cities of Le Corbusier to the light-weight structures of Buckminster Fuller to Paolo Soleris crystalline villages in the desert. The Human Scale documents how modern cities tend to leave us each alone in an almost infinitely large crowd and suggests that we can build cities in ways that takes human needs for inclusion and intimacy into account. Lastly, Microtopia investigates various ways in which architects, artists and ordinary problem-solvers are pushing the limits to find answers to the dream of portable, flexible and sustainable housing.

DIFF is happy to announce one surprise late addition to this selection of films, The Vision of Paolo Soleri: Prophet in the Desert, which will screen at the Elizabeth Sneddon Theatre (UKZN Howard College) at 20:15 on Wednesday 23 July. This is a biographical documentary on the architect, artist, and environmentalist Paolo Soleri, and the story of an unprecedented artistic quest. While uncovering Soleris legacy as an architect, environmentalist, and philosopher, the film poses critical questions about mankinds future, and architecture in a world facing environmental, social, and economic crisis.

Programme booklets with the full DIFF screening schedule and synopses of all DIFF films are available free at cinemas, and other public information outlets.

Please visit www.durbanfilmfest.co.za below for all DIFF details (17 to 27 July).

- In addition, an online Short Film Competition has been initiated to explore the stories of people in space, the theme of which is Voices in/Visible'. The intention is to explore space as a platform for storytelling: where stories are acted out and where stories are seen and heard. The stories that are captured should reflect the fluid and dynamic relationship that evolves between humanity and built form, how space can be re-purposed to better suit a need, and how individuals or communities desire space to be transformed and evolved. While is anticipated that the story threads will be diverse, the short films will include spatial considerations, and make visible to the public what is normally not seen.

The competition is open to anyone and everyone who has something to say about the way space and built form affects people's lives. The competition runs until 11 July 2014, and selected films will be showcased at the UIA 2014 World Congress.

For more information on the Architect Africa Short Film Competition, visit www.aaff.co.za.

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