Not often the subject of full-length films, architecture comes alive in Deyan Sudjic's How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster? Debuted in Spain in early October, 2010, it was awarded the TCM Audience Award to the Best European Film at the San Sebastian International Film Festival 2010, and has been nominated for the Spanish Film Academy's Goya Award 2011 for Best Documentary Feature, the most prestigious cinema award in Spain.
All of the positive global press yet there is mysteriously little film news surrounding its official UK release on January 28th.
As one might gather from the title, How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster? is a grand documentary on the life and work of Sir Norman Foster, designer of London's very own Gherkin at 30 St Mary Axe, from his humble childhood through his rise to genius. The film is full of strikingly beautiful large-framed shots that reflect the incredible architecture of Foster in his never ending quest to improve the global quality of life.
With production lasting over two years, the film dives into the mind of an architect to reveal buildings and projects in a way that many have never dreamed imaginable. Some of the most fascinating scenes arise when Foster speaks of his innovative ideas to help ease the inevitable influx of people living in metropolitan cities after leaving the countryside. This is to include plans for a completely carbon neutral city, already under construction in Abu Dhabi, named Masdar, which is to run fully automated driverless cars and is to be completed in 2030. Alongside commentary from Foster and Sudjic, the film also includes interviews with engineers, architects, and notable artists such as US's Bono.
How Much Does Your Building Weigh, Mr. Foster? is the first in what is to become a series of full length films by the company Art Commissioners, which is dedicated to the world of contemporary art, on some of the 21st century's key figures of art and culture, according to a statement made by CEO Elena Ochoa.
The 75 minute film opens at the Institute of Contemporary Arts on January 26 with a discussion between Sir Norman Foster and architectural theorist Charles Jencks to follow the 7:00 pm screening. It is to continue to run at the ICA through February with the last show on the 20th at 3:30 pm. With the hour of the first UK screening so near, it is only a matter of time before the number of film reviews accurately reflects the vision and beauty of Sir Norton Foster.
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