Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam: a selection of short movies

12:45 - 14:00

La Centrale

Once again this year, Utopian Hours hosts an hour-long selection of short movies from the Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam — taking place in the Netherlands on October 7-11, 2026.

On the program, 5 films under the theme “Places we Share”, celebrating public places that provide room for unexpected encounters, diverse communities and ways of being together.

The short films at Utopian Hours 2026:

Elephant Families
Elena Escalante | United Kingdom, Spain | 2025 | 15’
For many years, the much-maligned Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre was where Latin American immigrants in London truly felt at home. A warm reflection on an overlooked building and the community that flourished there.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1078914893/e49c895bca

Swimming Hall
Toni Kristian Tikkanen, Anni Suikkanen | Finland | 2025 | 15’
Designed in 1966 by architect Einari Teräsvirta, the modernist municipal swimming hall of Imatra, Finland is now facing a major transformation. Its regular visitors reflect on their lasting relationship with this piece of public architecture.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1151583085/fe7d762efc

A place in the middle
Delfin Lev, Fio de Lange | The Netherlands | 2025 | 13’
From aerobics to performance art, what really goes on inside Amsterdam’s deconsecrated churches?

Pergola
Karim Ouri | The Netherlands | 2025 | 3’
City poet Manu encounters Pergola, a temporary pavilion in Rotterdam’s Museum Park, explores its architecture and ecology, and reflects on his own relationship with the city.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1113800169?share=copy#t=0

The Cathedral
Jean-Marie Montangerand, Raphaëlla Dhayaa | France, Spain | 2026 | 14’
In a village in Brittany, a gigantic, luminous, tent-like sports hall rises beneath a breathable textile roof. The building proves invaluable to the local community.
Trailer: https://vimeo.com/1192650711?share=copy&fl=sv&fe=ci

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