A 12-part documentary series about seven architects who defined the freewheeling West Coast aesthetic
RIGHT: 2024 by Ave Pildas: (L to R: Eric Owen Moss, Frederick Fisher, Thom Mayne, Craig Hodgetts)
LOS ANGELES, CA (June 11, 2025) – Friends of Residential Treasures: Los Angeles (FORT: LA), an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to celebrating residential architecture, announces the launch of Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage, an illuminating 12-episode documentary series. Guided by architectural journalist Frances Anderton, the series brings together influential architects who were pivotal in shaping Los Angeles’s distinctive architectural landscape.
Launching on July 1st, Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage explores the evolution of Los Angeles architecture through intimate roundtable discussions and interviews.
The series is directly inspired by an iconic 1980 photograph taken by portrait photographer Ave Pildas at Venice Beach featuring architects Frederick Fisher, Robert Mangurian, Eric Owen Moss, Coy Howard, Craig Hodgetts, Thom Mayne, and Frank Gehry. Forty-five years later, the documentary reunites four of the architects for a candid conversation about a time when Venice Beach’s low rents and bohemian vibe fomented artistic creativity.
The group reflects on their shared history, their architectural trajectories and the profound changes that have occurred since that seminal image was taken.
“The film captures a transitional period in the cultural history of Los Angeles, as well as the camaraderie, creativity, and passion of this iconic group,” says Russell Brown, Director and Producer for the series and FORT: LA Founder and Board Chair. Shot in a conversational, relaxed format, Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage offers an insightful look into each architect’s perspective, culminating in a poignant re-staging of the original 1980 photograph on Venice Beach with photographer Ave Pildas.
Produced by FORT: LA and hosted by Frances Anderton, Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage premieres July 1st on FortLA.org, with new episodes releasing monthly thereafter. Each episode will be 6-15 minutes long. Special, related programming will take place during the LA Design Festival and FORT: LA’s popular Architecture Uncorked series.
Additionally, FORT: LA’s July Trail, The Rebel Architects of 1980: From Venice to the World Stage, takes its inspiration from the documentary series and includes a 90-page, self-guided “exteriors only” tour featuring early projects by Frank Gehry, Eric Owen Moss, Thom Mayne, Frederick Fisher, and others. The trail guides visitors to six key sites, encouraging exploration of the physical neighborhood while celebrating the maverick spirit of these now-iconic architects.
COMPLETE LIST OF EPISODES
Episode 1: Capturing a Moment in LA Architecture
Episode 2: Art and Rebellion in Venice in the ’70s and ‘80s
Episode 3: What the Photo Means Today
Episode 4: The Media’s Role in LA Architecture
Episode 5: Frank Gehry Goes His Own Way
Episode 6: The Women in the Picture
Episode 7: Teaching The Next Generation of Architects
Episode 8: Fifty Years Since the Photo
Episode 9: Craig Hodgetts on the Architects Around Him
Episode 10: LA and the Architecture World Today
Episode 11: The Many Corners of Coy Howard, Part 1: Venice, The Photograph, and the Past
Episode 12: The Many Corners of Coy Howard, Part 2: Vision, Language, and the Unfolding of Ideas
RELATED PROGRAMMING
LA Design Festival JUNE 27 | 6:30PM | HELMS Bakery
LA Design Festival will host a special screening of Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage Episode 1: Capturing a Moment in LA Architecture, along with a conversation between architectural journalist Frances Anderton, Architect Matthew Royce, and FORT: LA’s The Rebel Architects of 1980: From Venice to the World Stage Trail Curators Tim Bonefeld and Robert Thibodeau.
Details available here: LA Design Festival June 27 Schedule.
July Trail: The Rebel Architects of 1980: From Venice to the World Stage
FORT: LA’s July Trail The Rebel Architects of 1980: From Venice to the World Stage is directly inspired by the Rebel Architects documentary series. Curated by Tim Bonefeld and Robert Thibodeau, the duo focuses on buildings from 1978-1990, a seminal period for architecture in southern California. Centered in Venice along the vibrant arts scene and featuring cutting edge designs by each ‘rebel architect,’ the trail highlights work from the architectural giants of that era.
Details will be available on fortla.org in July.
Architecture UncorkedAUGUST 9th | 5:00-6:30PM | Barnsdall Art ParkA fast-paced, design-inspired evening with FORT: LA featuring architects and photographer Ave Pildas from the Rebel Architects series, with architectural journalist Frances Anderton and sommelier India Mandelkern as she pairs perfect wines with iconic designs.
Details available here: Architecture Uncorked.
ABOUT FORT: LA | fortla.org | @fort.losangeles
Friends Of Residential Treasures: LA (FORT: LA) is an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to energizing, educating and connecting Angelenos through the dynamic stories of our homes, neighborhoods, and architecture. The organization has developed four interlocking programs in pursuit of its mission: An online mapping system for self-guided tours of the exteriors of architecturally significant homes developed by experts in the field (FORT Trails); a fellowship to foster new knowledge (FORT Fellowship); a series of virtual experiences to provide interior access and understanding (FORT Frames); and an ongoing series of live and virtual educational events (FORT Gatherings). FORT: LA is a recipient of an LA Conservancy Preservation award, a California Preservation Foundation Design award, and will be featured in the U.S. Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. FORT: LA’s newsletter announcing its free monthly content reaches over 10,000 subscribers.
ABOUT FRANCES ANDERTON | francesanderton.com | @dna_designandarchitecture
Frances Anderton covers Los Angeles design and architecture in print, broadcast media and public events. She is the author of the award-winning book Common Ground: Multifamily Housing in Los Angeles, and co-author of Awesome and Affordable: Great Housing Now, a multimedia project produced by Friends of Residential Treasures: Los Angeles (FORT: LA). Anderton, FORT: LA, and Wyota Workshop were selected to create an installation for the US Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennial, illustrating the theme PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity.
Anderton previously produced KCRW’s current affairs show Which Way, LA? and To The Point, and for many years hosted DnA: Design and Architecture; she now writes a regular DnA newsletter for KCRW. Honors include the Esther McCoy Award, from the USC Architectural Guild, for her work educating the public about architecture and urbanism. She is a recipient of a 2025 Santa Monica Artist Fellowship.
ABOUT RUSSELL BROWN | russellbrownfilmmaker.com
Filmmaker Russell Brown’s body of work includes five narrative features, two full-length documentaries, and a number of well-regarded narrative and documentary shorts. His feature films have opened theatrically in select cities to favorable reviews after playing at more than 300 festivals around the world. Brown’s work has garnered national and international awards for directing, writing, acting, and editing. His diverse filmography includes Loren & Rose, Search Engines, The Blue Tooth Virgin, Annie and the Gypsy, Karen Black: On Acting, Conversation with a Cigarette, Mama Laura’s Boys, The 44 Scarves of Liza Minnelli, Above the Arroyo: A Dream of the Stairs of Los Angeles, Reality USA, and The Kaleidoscope Guy at the Market. Russell is a member of the Writer’s Guild of America and is a Film Independent Producing Fellow. His films are held as part of the collection at the UCLA Film and Television archive. Brown recently made Angeleno magazine’s June 2025 “The Power List,” which celebrates beacons of the LGBTQ+ community.
