On Wednesday 15 June, AFFR – in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut – presents the latest film by Heinz Emigholz, The Last City (‘Die letzte Stadt’). Before the screening, Heinz Emigholz will talk to the Rotterdam filmmaker and programmer Gijs van der Meer about the role of architecture in his work. Van der Meer is cofounder of Galerie de Jaloezie, a platform for audiovisual art and film in Rotterdam.

Emigholz (1948) has been active since 1973 in both Germany and the US as a filmmaker, visual artist and author. His vast body of work comprises a multitude of poetical, mostly silent documentaries about the city and architecture. With The Last City, he turns in a new direction with this philosophical, reflective story about the essence of five cities – Be’er Sheva, Berlin, Athens, Hong Kong and São Paolo. The film had its world premiere at the Berlinale in 2020 and was described by the New York Film Festival as ’ambitious and surprisingly funny’. Not your usual architecture documentary, but a new and sometimes absurdist take on the built environment by a major filmmaker.

Watch the trailer here.

About AFFR

The fourteenth edition of the Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam takes place from 5 to 9 October 2022 at LantarenVenster and Theater Zuidplein. In a world turned upside down, facing enormous challenges and contending with one new reality after another, AFFR presses the pause button. Or, in cinematographic terms, it creates a freeze frame.

About Goethe-Institut

The Goethe-Institut is the globally active cultural institution of the German Federal Republic. We promote the knowledge of the German language abroad and international cultural cooperation. The Goethe-Institut in Rotterdam is a space of research: We open our house to initiatives that investigate, search, discover and expose through artistic or journalistic means. Local and international creators are invited to work and present with us. Come and discover our first findings – on different research themes such as the social role of roofs, sound politics and hidden landscapes. More info on our website: Themahuis – Rotterdam – Goethe-Institut Niederlande

Practical info

This event takes place at the Festival Heart of the Rotterdam Architecture Month ’22, Het Nieuwe Instituut. Get your tickets through the ticketlink. Upon arrival, go to the RA Month information desk to be directed towards the right location. Visitors for RA Month events in the Festival Heart have automatic acces to The Podium and do not have to book a seperate timeslot. The Podium has no roofing, be prepared for different weather conditions.

The language of this film is English, no subtitles.

Go to website