NEW YORK (August 21, 2025) – The Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) will return this fall for its 17th season, beginning in New York before traveling to cities across North America and the world. As the largest film festival dedicated to architecture and design, ADFF offers audiences an opportunity to experience the power of personal stories and broader histories at the intersection of the built environment, culture, and community.
“ADFF was created to bring a wide range of people together to celebrate the creative and social impact of architecture and design through film,” said Kyle Bergman, Founder and Festival Director of the Architecture & Design Film Festival. “As the festival continues to grow, returning to cities where it has a long history and expanding to new ones, we consistently see how ADFF inspires dialogue and ideas, not only among architects and designers but also general audiences who discover the way design informs everything.”
ADFF films are selected for their cinematic quality and their ability to expand public appreciation of architecture and design beyond professional circles. This year’s edition features a dynamic lineup of world and U.S. premieres that highlight urgent issues such as sustainability, housing, community resilience, and artistic legacy. Talkbacks with directors and cultural luminaries, alongside interactive events, will accompany screenings during the season and offer diverse perspectives.
The global festival launches in New York from October 14–18, 2025, at the historic Village East by Angelika theater. The opening night features the U.S. premiere of Identity: The Story of Czech Graphic Design, followed by a Q&A with the film’s narrator, Nicholas D. Lowry, President and Principal Auctioneer of Swann Auction Galleries and Antiques Roadshow appraiser. Debbie Millman, celebrated designer, author, educator, curator, and host of the pioneering podcast Design Matters, will lead the conversation.
Additional highlights of ADFF:NY include the world premiere of:
- Building on the Edge
- Changing Lanes (Jannette Sakali-Kahn will participate in a post-screening discussion)
- Prickly Mountain: My Design/Build Life
- The Space Architect (Architect Deborah Berke will participate in a post-screening discussion)
Along with Identity: The Story of Czech Graphic Design, films making their U.S. premieres at ADFF:NY include:
- Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between the Lines (New York premiere)
- At the Garden’s Pace
- Kensington Market: Heart of the City
- Living in a Piece of Furniture – Gerrit Rietveld’s Houses
- Miralles
- Tracing Light
- We The Others
The festival also features The Harvard Five and Lewerentz Divine Darkness. Rounding out ADFF:NY’s presentation are two signature events. The first is an in-depth conversation with global design leaders Bisi Williams and Bruce Mau of Massive Change Network following the screening of I Have A Name. Drawing from their work on “Thorny Opportunities,” Williams and Mau will share insights into how we can design the world we need, starting with the unhoused crisis. Their talk will reflect on lessons learned from a Life-Centered Design workshop with college students conducted before the event. The Big Brutal Quiz, an interactive trivia night led by architect and filmmaker Jord den Hollander and inspired by the host’s disdain for the recent Oscar-winning film The Brutalist, this first-of-its-kind ADFF event will examine the intersection of architecture and cinema, challenging architects, designers, and film buffs to match legendary buildings with more than 20 on-screen appearances.
Detailed information about films and special programming is available here. The full ADFF:NY schedule, including the speaker lineup and ticket sales, will be available at adfilmfest.com beginning September 4, 2025.
ADFF 2025/26 Season
ADFF:NY – October 14-18, 2025
ADFF:LA – October 21-27, 2025
ADFF:Vancouver – November 5-9, 2025
ADFF:Toronto – November 12-15, 2025
ADFF:Mumbai – January 8-11, 2026
ADFF:Humanity in Architecture – January 30-21, 2026
ADFF:Chicago – February 18-21, 2026
