Architecture Film Festival (AFF)
The world's most important dedicated architecture film festival, touring annually to multiple cities, celebrating films about architecture, design, and the built environment for audiences of design professionals and cinema enthusiasts.
Overview
The Architecture Film Festival (AFF) is the world's most important dedicated film festival for architecture and design cinema. Founded in 2009 and touring annually to multiple cities including London, New York, Sydney, and others, the festival celebrates films about architecture, urbanism, design, and the built environment.
The intersection of architecture and cinema has a rich history -- both art forms shape how we understand and experience space. The AFF brings together these two visual disciplines, presenting documentaries about famous architects and buildings alongside narrative films where architecture plays a central role, experimental films exploring urban experience, and student films from architecture and film schools.
The festival's multiple-city touring model allows it to reach the large communities of design professionals in different urban markets.
Key Sections
- Documentary Competition -- films about architecture and architects competing for prizes
- Feature Film Program -- narrative films with architectural themes
- Student Film Competition -- films by architecture and film students
- Short Film Program -- architectural short films
- Urban Cinema -- films addressing city life and urban planning
What Filmmakers Should Know
The festival accepts open submissions. For documentary filmmakers who have made films about architects, buildings, or urban environments, the AFF provides the most targeted audience available -- an audience of design professionals who engage deeply with the subject matter. The touring model means a single submission can screen in multiple cities.
Major Awards
- Best Architecture Documentary -- jury prize
- Best Student Film
- Audience Award
Festival History
The Architecture Film Festival was founded in 2009 and has grown into the world's primary platform for films addressing architecture and design.
See Also
For documentary filmmaking, see Documentary Filmmaking Guide. For production design, see Art Direction and Production Design.
