Architecture on Film is a monthly film series by De Cinema and the Flanders Architecture Institute (VAi), bringing together two complementary areas of expertise: that of a unique cinema with a strong focus on film heritage and new voices, and that of an institute that explores architecture, design and heritage from a broad social and cultural perspective.
Don’t expect a conventional architecture film series. Architecture on Film presents a distinctive and carefully curated programme in which film and architecture intersect. From architecture and urbanism to heritage, landscape, housing, politics and social relations, each film explores a different way in which our surroundings are designed, used and experienced.
The selection deliberately looks beyond architecture as an object or design, exploring what the built environment can tell us about the world we live in. In doing so, the series creates space for inquiry, encounter and dialogue; between past and future, different cultures and perspectives, and the people and places around us.
From October to May, a new film is presented each month. On the first Tuesday of the month, the film is introduced by the programmer and an external expert, who brings an additional perspective to the film. A second screening takes place on the third Tuesday of each month, without an introduction. Films are always screened in their original language with English subtitles; introductions are in English.
FILM
What emerges when love and imagination amplify one another? Stardust: A Story of Love and Architecture invites you into the intimate universe of Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, two of the most influential architects of the second half of the twentieth century.
For ten years, their son Jim Venturi filmed his parents up close. He takes us to cities such as Rome, Venice, and Las Vegas—places that shaped their thinking and practice and nourished their remarkable collaboration.
09.04.2026
21.04.2026
FILM
For centuries, women* around the world have shaped cities, designed buildings, and contributed to renewing the discipline of architecture. Yet their names remain strikingly absent from official history. Out of the Picture delves into this blind spot and brings the women* behind architecture back into view.
Through the voices, works, and life stories of twenty female architects, Out of the Picture exposes the mechanisms of exclusion: missing archives and historiography, pay inequality, the glass ceiling, and the dominance of male networks such as “boys’ clubs.” By revisiting history, the documentary reveals the persistent sexism embedded in architecture and architectural culture—and confronts us with the urgent question: who is granted access to the official canon?
03.03.2026
17.03.2026
FILM
Simultaneously with the –cides series—ecocide, domicide and urbicide—the VAi, in collaboration with De Cinema, presents screenings of The Destruction of Memory by director Tim Slade (USA, 2016). The film takes you into a gripping struggle: war, or rather the strategic and deliberate destruction of a society’s cultural identity.
Based on the book of the same name by Robert Bevan, The Destruction of Memory reveals how cultural destruction is deployed as a weapon of war. At the same time, the film offers a sense of hope: modern technologies play a crucial role in documenting, protecting and ultimately restoring cultural heritage.
03.02.2026
17.02.2026
FILM
In 2018, Rotterdam-based architect Enzo Valerio won a design competition for a multifunctional pavilion in the Pinetum Blijdenstein. The long‑awaited construction of a new pavilion in this botanical garden in Hilversum unfolds at the rhythm of nature. With occasional help from the gardener and under the watchful eyes of local residents, the architects put on overalls and work boots, taking on the role of builders themselves.
Over the course of a year, their work follows the unhurried pace of daily life in the garden. Director Juan Benavides documented the process during fifteen visits across four seasons. At the Garden’s Pace is an immersive, observational documentary that transforms the act of building into a meditative experience.
02.12.2025
16.12.2025
FILM
What if the ground beneath our feet were the future of architecture? TOUCHER TERRE takes us on a journey into building with earth, a practice as old as civilization itself. From the clay walls of Mesopotamia to today’s participatory workshops, Jérémie Basset’s film explores how a handful of earth—mixed with straw and water—can grow into shelter, beauty, and resilience. Through the voices of archaeologists, scientists, and architects, we rediscover the earth, its colours, textures, and material qualities.
04.11.2025
18.11.2025
FILM
The film Taming the Garden is an ode to the rivalry between humans and nature. It tells the story of a powerful man who indulges in an unusual hobby: uprooting centuries-old trees from communities along the Georgian coast and relocating them to his private garden. Director Salomé Jashi observes this process with a sense of wonder.
07.10.2025
21.10.2025
FILM
ARCHITECTON is a beautifully poetic study of the awarded filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky (GUNDA) where concrete plays the main part — as the foundation of civilisation and as a silent witness of her downfall. What does our way of building say about who we are? And what remains if everything collapses?
03.06.2025
17.06.2025
FILM
Golden Bear winner in 2023, Sur l'Adamant, explores the interplay between city, mental health and care facilities.
L'Adamant is an extraordinary day centre: a floating structure on the Seine, in the middle of Paris. Here, adults with mental illnesses find care and hold in time and space, supporting their recovery and resilience. The team behind the centre actively resists the dehumanisation of psychiatry.
06.05.2025
20.05.2025
FILM
This April, Architecture on Film presents a captivating double feature showcasing two films from neighboring countries, the Netherlands and Belgium. The spotlight will be on Margaret Staal-Kropholler and Simone Guillissen-Hoa, inspiring architects who made history as the first women in their respective nations to establish independent practices. Appoline Vranken, founder of ‘L'architecture qui dégenre’ introduces the movies before the screening on 1 April.
01.04.2025
15.04.2025
WORKSHOP
Following the film screening E.1027: Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea, the VAi and De Cinema are organising a workshop on 3 March with Beatrice Minger (director of the movie E.1027), Florencia Fernandez Cardoso (architectural historian) and Hülya Ertas (curator VAi). The workshop will explore new methodologies to tell stories otherwise.
03.03.2025
FILM
A woman achieves greatness; a man takes the credit. This docu-fiction uncovers the true story of Eileen Gray, the architect of the modernist masterpiece E.1027 on the French Riviera. Through stunning archival footage and expertly recreated scenes, director Beatrice Minger brings this dramatic tale to life. It reveals how Le Corbusier, a friend of Gray's partner Jean Badovici, painted murals on the house without permission and claimed it as his own. This captivating film finally restores Gray's rightful place in architectural history. The first screening on March 4th will be in the presence of director Beatrice Minger and with an introduction by Hülya Ertas from VAi and Joyce Palmers from De Cinema.
Come and discover how cinema and architecture combine to tell stories that reveal not only physical spaces but also the social and cultural layers of our lives. Be inspired by the power of architectural design and its profound impact on people and society.
04.03.2025 (with introduction)
15.03.2025
17.03.2025
18.03.2025
23.03.2025
FILM
Marco Bertozzi takes us to the Rimini Skyscraper, a controversial 100-meter-tall building that was once a symbol of modernity and is now a vertical neighborhood with residents from 20 different countries. The movie offers us many different looks at this vertical city that stands out on the horizon of the Adriatic Sea, a Tower of Babel pulsating with heterogeneous lives. Paired with Cinema Grattacielo, the documentary Iemand Thuis explores the experiences of individuals who have left their original homes, each offering a unique reflection on their personal understanding of what "home" means.
The first screening on February 4th starts with the short film Iemand Thuis by Studio Orka, within the presence of the filmmaker and with an introduction by Hülya Ertas from VAi and Joyce Palmers from De Cinema.
04.02.2025 (with introduction)
18.02.2025
FILM
This documentary by Bianca Gleissinger delves into the iconic residential park Alterlaa in Vienna, where 10,000 residents live together across 27 floors. Gleissinger returns to her childhood home, portraying life in this social utopian monument with humor and self-reflection, while scrutinizing the architect's original promise of happiness. Prior to the screening on January 7th, Hülya Ertas from VAi will give an introduction.
07.01.2025 (with introduction)
21.01.2025
25.01.2025
Each first Tuesday of the month (with intro) & third Tuesday of the month (without intro), starting at 19h45.
De Cinema
Maarschalk Gerardstraat 4, (De Studio)
2000, Antwerp
Available online or at the reception desk at De Cinema:
Standard rate: €9
Reduced rate: €6.50 (under 26, over 60, teacher’s card, Friends of M HKA, and groups of 15 or more)
Ten-visit pass for De Cinema: €60
Annual pass for De Cinema: €180
Cineville Pass: €22.50/month (under 26: €18.50/month)
Need assistance or want to use extra facilities? Email tickets@destudio.com and they will be happy to help.
