Introducing the Architecture and Design Film Festival

Photo by ADFFRepublished from Examiner.com

Film is as much a part of New York’s history and culture as the Yankees and Coney Island. Every year, travelers from all over the world come to see groundbreaking new films at the city’s many film festivals. For those interested in architecture and design—and films about architecture and design—then you’re not going to want to miss this week’s Architecture and Design Film Festival at Tribeca Cinemas.

Running from October 19^th to the 23^rd, the AD Film Festival will showcase 31 films, ranging in length from 3 minutes to 93 minutes.  The films, shown in the Cinema’s two theaters, are organized into 15 programs with names like “Unfinished Spaces,” “Pool Party,” “Biophilic Design: The Architecture of Life,” and “Antwerp Central.” Tickets are sold by program, with each program containing 1-4 films.

Produced by architect Kyle Bergman, this one-of-a-kind festival has a lot to offer. In addition to the films, the Cinema’s Varick Room (which also contains a full bar) will host engaging panel discussions involving leading filmmakers, architects, designers, and critics.  Among those slated to speak are award-winning journalist Ben Loeterman, architect Robert A.M. Stern, and filmmaker Eames Demetrios.

Last year’s festival was a major success, selling out on opening night and attracting figures like The New Yorker’s Architecture Critic, Paul Goldberger, and legendary architect, Robert Venturi. This year promises to be even better with a spectacular lineup of handpicked films and fascinating panelists.

Some may be skeptical that architecture, as a theme, translates well into film. It not only translates well, but, as art forms, architecture and film are inherently linked. “Maybe the most interesting similarity is that they are both really storytelling,” says Mr. Bergman. “When you make a film, you’re obviously telling a story, even if it’s a non-narrative film. And when you’re doing a building you’re always telling a story, whether you mean to or not.”

The films at last year’s festival were extremely interesting and well produced. Even those who are scantly interested in architecture and design will still find the stories in many of the films engaging. These films are more than just about structures and the materials they are made out of; they are about the lives of people—their struggles, their dreams, their successes, and even their failures.

Whether you are an architect, a designer, a filmmaker, an enthusiast, or simply a traveler coming to town, you are going to want to check out the Architecture and Design Film Festival.

Note: Stay tuned for full coverage of the AD Film Festival. I will be doing live blogging from the event and uploading stories to Examiner.com as well as:

Architecture and Design Film Festival - www.adfilmfest.com

Running October 19^th to October 23^rd at Tribeca Cinemas, 54 Varick Street, New York.

Tickets can be purchased online at http://adfilmfest.com/tickets.html

Come Visit Wall Street and the Revolution Next Door

Photo by AdBusters

Republished from Examiner.com

Among the many attractions for travelers to New York is the famous Stock Exchange at Wall Street. Now, there’s an even better reason to go visit: there’s a political uprising taking place right next door! Read more...

Homage to Steve Jobs

In his commencement speech to the 2005 graduating class at Stanford University, Steve Jobs told his audience to follow their own paths in life and not what others thought best for them. “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice,” Jobs said. “And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

This was the essence of the man. All his life, Jobs had asked people to “think different,” to have the courage to break new ground and seek new frontiers...to boldly go where no man (or woman) has gone before. He expected no less from himself, and, like others before him, set out to prove that with vision and the perseverance to see it through, you could change the world.

When I was around seven years old, my father brought home an Apple LC II. The rest, as they say, is history. I grew up with the Macintosh as part of my household. My father, being an independent-thinker himself, was naturally attracted to the inventions of another independent-thinker like Jobs.

Each time my father brought home the newest model, it was Christmas all over again. He was captivated by the machines, and, using the Mac, soon taught himself how to design a webpage for his business and manipulate graphics in Adobe Photoshop. Not long thereafter I, too, took up the mouse and began my own journey into the new digital frontier.

Today, I am a professional web developer and Mac user. I owe it all to two men: my dad and Steve Jobs.

We will miss you Steve.

Down at the Occupation

Photo by Carwil Bjork-JamesI had a chance to drop in on the Occupy Wall Street protests yesterday. A large group of people are encamped in the park at One Liberty Plaza, just blocks from the Wall Street Stock Exchange. I must have seen over a thousand people there of different ages and ethnicities. The protesters seemed to represent a cross section of America and the growing frustration of many Americans with the uncontrolled excesses of financial institutions and their political agents in Congress.

As I stood talking to an older lady about the protests, a pizza man showed up carrying about ten large pies. Apparently, an anonymous donor had called in a pizza delivery for the protesters. The occupiers lined up at a row of tables and were served the hot slices directly from the boxes. Other donated food items covered the tables: plastic boxes of salad, fruits, vegetables, canned goods, you name it.... all of it private donations. Clearly, the occupiers have real popular support from their fellow New Yorkers.

Now, the New York Times is reporting that similar occupations are cropping up across the country. We have occupations beginning in Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago, and smaller towns and cities throughout America. Most of the actions, just as in the Middle Eastern rebellions, are being organized and coordinated over Facebook and Twitter. We may be witnessing an American version of the Arab Spring....