Architecture & Design Film Festival: New York Features Docs About Building a Better World
- Details
- Parent Category: Film Festivals
- Category: Previews
- Published on Monday, 13 October 2025 13:50
- Written by Brad Balfour
Featuring cinema centered around the world we live in and the people who design it, the Architecture & Design Film Festival: New York returns this October 14 to the 18th. Running at the Village East by Angelika, the festival includes documentaries, panel discussions, and even a Brutalist trivia contest with US, NY, and World Premieres.
Films include I Have A Name, which brings audiences face-to-face with the unhoused crisis through the eyes of artist and activist Jon Linton. What began as a 2007 photo project on the streets of Phoenix has evolved into a national movement, now captured in this powerful film. Through the simple act of asking unhoused individuals their names, Linton creates portraits that restore dignity and visibility to those too often overlooked. Following the film is a conversation with global design leaders Bisi Williams and Bruce Mau of Massive Change Network.
The Space Architect introduces us to the trailblazing architect Constance Adams, whose groundbreaking work at NASA reimagined how humans might live in outer space. After earning degrees from Harvard and Yale, Adams left behind a career designing skyscrapers to focus on spacecraft and prototypes for lunar and Martian habitats. At age 53, knowing she was dying of cancer, Adams enlisted the help of filmmaker Rebecca Carpenter to preserve her story. Filmed just four days before her death, The Space Architect captures Adams reflecting on her extraordinary career and her final, passionate focus towards Earth—where she hoped to apply her knowledge to address the urgent challenges of the climate crisis. At once heart-wrenching and hopeful, the film offers a moving meditation on a life driven by purpose and curiosity.
Changing Lanes tracks how after a beloved teacher is tragically killed in a hit-and-run accident in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, a grassroots movement emerges to transform a notoriously dangerous four-lane boulevard into a safer, two-lane street with protected bike lanes. While many applaud the proposed road diet, it also sparks a backlash—led in part by a powerful local business owner. As government support begins to waver, neighbors unite to challenge entrenched interests and fight for a safer Greenpoint. Changing Lanes makes a compelling call to action for democracy at street level.
To learn more, go to: https://adfilmfest.com/adff-ny/
Architecture & Design Film Festival New York
October 14 - 18, 2025
Village East by Angelika
181-189 2nd Ave
New York, NY 10003