Architecture & Design Film Festival Opens 2026–27 Season at MoMA with World Premiere of MUNDO FRÁGIL
The 18th season of the Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) is set to take place in New York City from October 12 to 17, 2026, making its debut at MoMA. The festival will kick off with the world premiere of MUNDO FRÁGIL, which was filmed prior to Smiljan Radić receiving the Pritzker Prize in 2026. Another highlight is the premiere of Five Living Buildings by Renzo Piano, featuring stories from residents of five iconic structures. This year's lineup includes 12 films that delve into architecture's societal effects. Established in 2008, ADFF has grown to include festivals in various cities. Noteworthy films include COPAN and Out of the Picture. Post-screening talks will feature Radić, Bêka, Lemoine, and Ash Smolar. Bar Veloce will serve as the festival hub, with tickets available using the code ANADFF.
Key facts
- ADFF opens its 2026–27 season in New York City from October 12 to 17.
- The festival marks its 18th year and opens at MoMA for the first time in its history.
- The opening features the world premiere of MUNDO FRÁGIL, filmed six months before Smiljan Radić became the 2026 Pritzker Architecture Prize laureate.
- Five Living Buildings by Renzo Piano is another ADFF premiere, following inhabitants of five Renzo Piano Building Workshop landmarks.
- The 12 selections explore themes of buildings as "ongoing social bets," adaptive reuse, and overlooked architectural movements and figures.
- Founded in 2008, ADFF has spinoff festivals in Toronto, Vancouver, Mumbai, Chicago, and most recently Detroit.
- COPAN, directed by Carine Wallauer, documents a contested election for building administrator inside Oscar Niemeyer's São Paulo building.
- Out of the Picture explores the invisibility of women in architecture history through Denise Scott Brown, Elizabeth Diller, and Beatriz Colomina.
Entities
Artists
- Smiljan Radić
- Ila Bêka
- Louise Lemoine
- Renzo Piano
- Kyle Bergman
- Carine Wallauer
- Oscar Niemeyer
- Leandro Garcia
- Denise Scott Brown
- Elizabeth Diller
- Beatriz Colomina
- Ash Smolar
- Julie Lasky
- Martino Stierli
- Similjan Radić
- Barbara Buser
- Hans den Hartog
- Nico Weber
- Jonathan Goodman Levitt
- Gabriele Schärer
Institutions
- Architecture & Design Film Festival
- MoMA
- Village East by Angelika
- Renzo Piano Building Workshop
- The New York Times
- Eventspace
- AN
- AN Interior
- Pritzker Architecture Prize
- Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF)
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Whitney Museum of American Art
- Centre Pompidou
- Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center
- Bauhaus-Archiv
- The Museum of Modern Art
Locations
- New York City
- United States
- Chile
- Toronto
- Canada
- Vancouver
- Mumbai
- India
- Chicago
- Detroit
- São Paulo
- Brazil
- New York
- USA
- Copenhagen
- Denmark
- Berlin
- Germany
- Los Angeles
- Basel
- Switzerland
- Utrecht
- Netherlands
- Holland