Architecton (2025)
- Fri, Nov 14
- Sat, Nov 15
- Sun, Nov 16
Director: Viktor Kossakovsky Run Time: 98 min. Rating: G Release Year: 2025
Starring: Michele De Lucchi
Country: Germany, France, United States, French Polynesia
Language: Italian, English
About the film:
In this immersive documentary essay from director Viktor Kossakovsky, we follow a sweeping journey across the globe — from the ancient stone monoliths of Baalbek in Lebanon to the earthquake-ruined cityscapes of Turkey and the war-torn housing blocks of Ukraine — as the film explores how stone and concrete have shaped, symbolized, and ultimately betrayed human ambition.
Anchored by reflections from Italian architect Michele De Lucchi, one sequence finds him quietly supervising the construction of a simple stone circle in his garden — a gesture of resistance to the disposable architecture of our time. This intimate moment stands in contrast to the film’s grand visuals of demolished apartment blocks, limestone quarries, and the dust of demolitions.
The film has minimal dialogue; instead, it relies on powerful visual rhythm, slow-motion cascades of rock, drone shots of collapsing facades, and a dramatic score by Evgueni Galperine to convey its message: that civilizations rise and fall, not just through politics or war, but through the materials they choose, the permanence they promise, and the fragility they hide.
Ultimately, Architecton asks a series of profound questions: Why do we build what we build? How long should our creations last — decades or millennia? And as our planet groans under extractive industries and rapid urbanization, can human architecture still offer hope rather than ruin? The film suggests that our material environment is both a monument and a warning — and that the stone-and-cement legacies we leave behind may say more about us than any text ever written.
About the filmmaker:
Victor Kossakovsky is a Russian documentary filmmaker celebrated for his visually stunning, deeply humanistic cinema that transforms real-life observation into poetic reflection. Known for works like Aquarela, Gunda, and Architecton, Kossakovsky’s films often explore humanity’s relationship with nature, time, and the physical world through meticulous cinematography and meditative pacing that challenge the boundaries between art and documentary.
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