ADFF 2023: Three Canadian Premieres You Don’t Want to Miss

The 2023 Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) will be returning to Toronto this November 1-4. Poised to celebrate the world of architecture and design through captivating cinematic programming, this year’s festival features a whopping 19 films—15 of which will be making their Canadian premiere. While there is a ton of programming attendees can look forward to, we’ve rounded up three films you shouldn’t miss for their historical relevance, acclaimed artistry and complementary panel discussions.

Modernism Inc. ┃ Director: Jason Cohn

Modernism, Inc. follows Architect Eliot Noyes’ career up to a time when disruptive designers of the early 70s began pushing back against the status quo. This compelling documentary delves into the legacy of the architect, who not only made a lasting impact on architecture, but also began the trend of shaping the design ethos of major corporations and precluding design-driven brands such as Apple and Google. Tickets to this premiere include access to the proceeding panel discussion with director Jason Cohn, and access to ADFF Toronto’s official opening party at Cibo Wine Bar. November 1, 2023; 7pm.

Rehab Directors:┃Louise Lemoine and Ila Beka

Festival attendees will not want to miss the Canadian premiere of REHAB (from rehab) – a film by renowned directors Louise Lemione and Ila Beka that examines the integral role design plays in fostering spaces of well-being and recovery. Through a series of vignettes of patients going through physical rehabilitation at Swiss Architects Herzog & De Meuron’s REHAB center in Basel, Rehab (from rehab) demonstrates how a building itself can contribute to patients’ recovery stories. November 3, 2023; 6:15pm.

Best in the World┃Director: Hans Christian Post

Copenhagen is widely considered one of the world’s most livable cities, but it wasn’t always this way. Best in the World offers a closer look at the Danish capital’s journey from an industrial city on the brink of bankruptcy to the transformed Copenhagen of today. Celebrated writer and filmmaker Hans Christian Post takes stock of the cost of this transformation, examining inequity within the city’s borders and in the surrounding countryside. Don’t miss the ADFF 2023 panel discussion moderated by Azure senior editor Stefan Novakovic that is scheduled to follow the screening. November 4, 2023; 12:30pm.

A full list of ADFF 2023 film screenings, events and speakers can be found at ADFILMFEST.COM.