The 2022-2023 NCModernist/ModHomes Architecture Movie Series
Sponsored by ModHomes Realtor Sarah Sonke, and by
SHELTER / the world's first architecture streaming service
Jose Lopez / Habanero Design
Mark Todd / Hill Country Woodworks
October to December 2022 on Tuesday nights at the Chelsea, a beloved Chapel Hill art house theater featuring fresh organic popcorn, local craft beers, and curated wine and soft drink selections.
January to March 2023 on Monday nights at the Jim Hunt Library on the campus of NC State, designed by world-class architects Snohetta.
Tuesday, October 4, Chelsea Chapel Hill, 7pm - Frank Lloyd Wright's Modern Masterpiece, Unity Temple (2021): Lauren Levine's homage to America's most renowned architect from his first public commission in the early 1900's to the painstaking efforts to restore the 100 year old Chicago Unity Temple to its original beauty. The dedicated team of historians, craftspeople, members of the Unitarian congregation reveal the history of one of Wright's most innovative buildings that merged architecture with his own spiritual values. Narrated by Brad Pitt. Yes, that Brad Pitt.
Tuesday, November 8, 7pm, Chelsea Chapel Hill - George Nakashima, Woodworker. Nakashima (1905-1990) was one of the best known and influential woodworkers ever. His works were always finely crafted from solid hardwoods. They were either his deceivingly simple nuanced forms or his explorations of the endless complexities found inside centuries-old trees. He did not come to woodworking until his mid-thirties after a worldwide search for meaning for several years during the Great Depression. During his seeker’s journey, he found important answers that brought him to evolve his new approach to woodworking. It is a timeless story for anyone who has a fascination with the creative process, Japanese and Japanese Americans, woodworking, nature, and the spiritual.
Tuesday, December 6, 7pm, Chelsea Chapel Hill - Tadao Ando, From Emptiness to Infinity (2013): This insightful documentary by German filmmaker Mathias Frick offers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look into the work and processes of Ando, the only architect to have won the discipline's four most prestigious prizes: the Pritzker, Carlsberg, Praemium Imperiale, and Kyoto Prize.
Monday, January 9, Hunt Library Raleigh, 7pm - AALTO (2020): Journey into the life and work of the defining figure in Scandic design and one of the greatest modern architects, Finland's Alvar Aalto. Recounting the intimate yet tragic love story he shared with his architect wife, Aino, the film provides a cinematic tour of their creative process and iconic buildings all over the world. Narrated by experts in the field and featuring never-before-seen archival footage, AALTO reveals unique insight into an extraordinary couple whose profoundly humanist vision put people at the center of design.
Monday, February 6, 7pm, Hunt Library Raleigh - Battleship Berlin (2021): Berlin's brutalist heritage is under fire. The city's powerful Charité hospital wants to destroy a brutalist icon of the Cold War era: The infamous former animal research laboratory called the Mausebunker. Meanwhile, a dedicated group of politicians, preservationists, architects, gallerists and students fight for an adaptive re-use of these magnificent, uncompromisingly unique structures. Who will win? No matter the outcome, you're left with the impression that preservation can be brutal. This video contains flashes of light that could trigger seizures for people with visual sensitivities. View trailer here.
Monday, March 6, 7pm, Hunt Library Raleigh - Schindler Space Architect, a 2023 documentary on bohemian architect Rudolph Schindler, the most innovative and the least understood of all the pioneers of modern architecture. The film affirms the singular genius of one man, and the eternal challenge every artist faces to stay true to their vision in an effort to leave a lasting impact. The house Schindler built for his family and another couple on Kings Road, West Hollywood in 1922, is now a museum: considered the first modern house built anywhere in the world. It was an architectural and social experiment, challenging the precepts of the nuclear family. It marked the birth of counter culture in America, dealing with such issues as feminism, gender equality, communal living. It was a gathering place for artists, radicals and a cradle for modern architecture. And Schindler didn't believe in socks!