ADFF:STIR London

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STIR announces the launch of the Architecture & Design Film Festival in London with a special Curtain Raiser on Saturday, September 13 2025, at the Victoria & Albert Museum, Cromwell Road, presented in collaboration with the London Design Festival and with the support of the British Council.

Part of LDF's expansive talks programme, the Global Design Forum—also guest-curated by STIR—the evening will feature a screening of Green Over Gray: Emilio Ambasz, followed by a conversation with director Francesca Molteni. The event will mark the festival’s European debut, ahead of its first full edition in the city touted for 2026, extending ADFF’s 17-year global journey following its successful South Asian premiere earlier this year with ADFF:STIR Mumbai. The initiative is led by STIR, strengthening its dedication to shaping cultural discourse at the intersection of design, architecture, art, and technology through storytelling, exhibitions, and thought leadership programmes.

About Green Over Gray: Emilio Ambasz
Green Over Gray: Emilio Ambasz, directed by Francesca Molteni and Mattia Colombo, chronicles the Argentinian-American architect’s sizeable legacy and pioneering body of work in 'green architecture' through four global projects and exclusive interviews. Ambasz, termed the ‘the father, poet and prophet’ of the green architecture movement by Tadao Ando, uses mythmaking and fables to traverse complex landscapes in the search of something primal in his projects, marked by extensive greens that supersede landscapes and signal a more symbiotic relationship with nature. The eponymous 'Green Over Gray' then operates beyond an architectural manifesto or Ambasz's own style in the film, showcased through a careful lens in the film.

About ADFF:STIR
The festival's successful South Asia edition in Mumbai prompted its expansion beyond even more borders, with an aim to foster interdisciplinary engagement across the entire spectrum of creativity and culture globally. The event is set to bridge cinema and other creative worlds in 2026, highlighting the intrinsic role of storytelling in both. The spirit of the festival shall remain the same—vibrant, participatory and cross-disciplinary—with every edition intended to expand in scale, ambition and impact. each edition is outlined along four dynamic pillars—the Films, ~log(ue) Programme, the Pavilion Park and Special Projects, with the idea of fostering a space for meaningful engagement amongst the wider creative community and enthusiasts alike.

About Francesca Molteni
Francesca Molteni is an author, director, and the founder of MUSE Factory of Projects. She graduated in Philosophy and studied Film at the New York University. In 2009 she founded MUSE Factory of Projects in Milan, focused on contemporary, design and architectural culture. She received the Innovation Award by the President of the Italian Republic, the Compasso d’Oro honourable mention, and the Cathay Pacific Award for women entrepreneurs.

The ADFF:STIR Curtain Raiser is made possible with the support of Molteni&C, Occhio, SOLUS Ceramics, and LOCO Design.