Amid the clutter of architecture and design trade shows, talks and conferences, fairs and festivals, how are meaningful cultural dialogues initiated? Saturated aplenty with the same formats that often risk being echo chambers around niche groups, how do the realms of architecture and design, as well as their allied fields, BREAK OUT, ENERGISE, INNOVATE and ACTIVATE engagement with the larger creative community?

Following its grand success over a decade in the United States and Canada, the Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) is ready to debut in Mumbai, India, in a first-of-its-kind format for South Asia. This winter, ADFF:STIR Mumbai invites audiences to engage with the vibrant global creative landscape of architecture and design through the cinematic lens, with an impressive line-up of films coalescing with a curated and engaging public programme called STIRthing.

Taking place in January 2025, with over 20 international film screenings from over 12 countries, ADFF:STIR Mumbai will bring the creative community together, enriched by STIRring crits, essay readings, talks and immersive settings of installations, pavilions, entertainment and network lounges and more.

Celebrating the creative spirit driving the realms of architecture and design, ADFF:STIR Mumbai’s curated selection of films includes showstopping titles such as the Oscar-nominated film My Architect, a documentary newly restored and remastered, about American architect Louis Kahn, directed by his son, Nathaniel Kahn; REHAB (from rehab), a film by Bêka & Lemoine that examines how a building itself can contribute to patients’ recovery stories; and Thomas Piper’s We Start With The Things We Find, a profound exploration of architects and founders of the LOT-EK firm, Ada Tolla and Giuseppe Lignano, that follows their journey of repurposing shipping containers and industrial artefacts into architectural marvels.

“When programming the festival, we usually don’t have a goal in mind other than presenting the best films possible and that certainly is the case this year. Themes emerged during the process including the ever-present topic of climate change, a spotlight on architecture in Southeast Asia and prominent women in architecture,” shares Kyle Bergman, Director and Founder, ADFF.

Founded in 2009, ADFF celebrates the creative spirit that drives architecture and design. Through a curated selection of design and architecture films, events and panel discussions, the Architecture and Design Film Festival creates an opportunity to educate, entertain and engage all types of people excited about design and architecture. It has grown into the world’s largest film festival devoted to the subject with an annual festival in New York and satellite events worldwide.

Of Films and STIRthings

Thing /θɪŋ/: That which is considered to exist as a separate entity, object, quality, or concept. The word originally meant ‘assembly,’ then came to mean a specific issue discussed at such an assembly and ultimately came to mean most broadly ‘an object’—What happens when ‘individuality’ is rediscovered in the context of the ‘collective’—an assembly? "Diversity, inclusivity and plurality become the creative social capital; and to foster that is a STIRthing!," reflects Samta Nadeem, Curatorial Director of STIR who will be leading the festival's public programming and creative collaborations with designers, artists and the allied community of professionals and industry stakeholders.

In conjunction, the decorated four days of public programming will seek to educate, engage and entertain. Meaningful interactions begetting valuable outcomes with the audience and partners will be achieved through an experiential programme of crits, essay readings and talks with influential industry speakers; performances and interactive workshops that engage and seek reactions; outdoor screenings accompanying site-specific installations that engross through textile and fabric-play, as well as narratives spelt by objects and surfaces.

This will also be accompanied by a dedicated brands showcase from creative leaders as a one-stop destination to learn and indulge in state-of-the-art products, technologies, tiles and materials; a trailer gallery with the best visual and audio interfaces to browse through exclusive film trailers and catch behind-the-scenes of the movies on display, to choose from the best; a designer’s cache that gets you access to the country’s finest exposition of books, publications, curios and objects, as well as collectibles and gift items. Each day will culminate with stirring Experiential Suppers indulging in great gourmet food and greater company, nurturing perfect networking opportunities with the crème de la crème of the creative industry.

According to Amit Gupta, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of STIR, "Architecture and the cinematic narrative have mutually influenced each other in diverse, paramount settings. This interplay serves as a channel for cultural commentary, where the built and cinematic environment together fuels socio-political and cultural discourse. As both storytelling mediums, they shape our conscious and social collective. This ever-present dialogue is to be nurtured, furthering the relevance of conduits such as ADFF:STIR Mumbai.”

The Cinematic ADFF:STIR Curtain Raiser at SOHO House Mumbai

As an insightful precursor to the upcoming main event this winter, ADFF:STIR announces an exclusive Curtain Raiser at the SOHO House Mumbai, on March 27, 2024. Powered by The Glenlivet Glassware, the one-day, invite-only event will feature a concise press conference introducing the scale, format and intent of the main event in January 2025.

This will be followed by a rolling film screening of Modernism, Inc. by Director Jason Cohn (2023 / 75 mins / USA), which makes its dedicated Indian premiere. The compelling documentary delves into architect Eliot Noyes as a transitional figure in the history of American design. Educated by Walter Gropius at Harvard, Noyes made a lasting impact with his modernist approach to corporate America, shaping the design ethos of major corporations such as IBM and Mobil, which further paved the way for Apple and many of the other design-conscious brands we know today.

For more information, visit the ADFF:STIR Mumbai website for key highlights of the festival, including the 20+ films, 10 cinematic pavilions, special projects the ~log(ue) programme, media and press coverage and more. Stay tuned and keep an eye out for ADFF:STIR Mumbai 2026.