On Wednesday, November 6, at 6:30 PM, the 11th edition of the UrbanEye Film Festival Bucharest will officially open at Cinema Elvire Popesco. This annual event uses film as a medium to foster dialogue about cities and urban life, creating a platform for those passionate about these topics to connect.
With nearly 25 hours of screenings featuring films from around the world, guided tours, urban furniture design workshops for youth and children, film nights for high schoolers, and a robust lineup of debates, this year’s program centers on community and the common good. The complete program is available here: https://urbaneye.ro/editions/urbaneye-2024/program/.
The six scheduled debates are an excellent opportunity to spotlight issues the festival’s organizers deem relevant, challenging participants to explore and rethink their urban surroundings, with guests from diverse fields sharing their insights.
The first debate will take place on the opening night, following the screening of Living Together: The Story of De Warren, a documentary that captures a group of friends in Amsterdam as they create a sustainable, affordable co-housing project. This screening will be followed by a debate on co-housing, featuring Dutch director Sam van Zoest, community member Sarah van Ierlant (also a senior policy strategist for the Dutch government), and architect Lucian Luță.
Another highlight is the screening of I Didn’t See You There by American filmmaker Reid Davenport, which explores accessibility challenges in cities and the impact of the built environment on people with disabilities. Scheduled for Saturday, November 9, at 5:30 PM at ARCUB – Hanul Gabroveni, this film will be followed by a discussion on space accessibility with architect Iris Popescu, activist Alex Tache, and moderator Ruxandra Mateescu.
Two other debates focus on Romanian architecture and architects, with screenings of Fackelmann and Cvartal – The Cultural Heritage of Bucharest’s Neighborhoods, accompanied by discussions featuring figures like architect Șerban Sturza and historian Andrei Răzvan Voinea.
The festival also includes a special debate on film and photography’s role in exploring architecture and territories, with Laurian Ghinițoiu presenting, followed by the screening of v e i n s, a documentary on the environmental and socio-political impact of architectural transformation through marble extraction. The discussion will include both Ghinițoiu and v e i n s director Arata Mori.
This year, the festival will feature a curated series of archival films titled “The Socialist City: Social Engineering and Civic Engagement.” Curated by Ana Szel and Andrei Rus, the selection includes 20 films examining the dynamics between citizens and authorities in socialist-era urban planning. These screenings also feature rare, digitally restored works by notable artists like Ion Grigorescu, Paul Neagu, and Constantin Flondor, capturing the less-publicized aspects of socialist reality.
Guided tours also form an essential part of this year’s festival, exploring neighborhoods like Cotroceni, known for its small-scale residential architecture, and Drumul Taberei, a prime example of collective housing. These tours will take place on November 9 and 10, starting at 11:00 AM, with architects Irina Tulbure and Alex Axinte guiding participants through the diverse “homes” of the city.
A key feature of UrbanEye 2024 is the “Cities of the Future Are Built by Today’s Children” initiative, aimed at young audiences. Designed for two age groups, 6–9 and 9–12 years, the workshops titled De-a Designul de Mobilier Urban will be held on November 9 at the Romanian Order of Architects’ headquarters. Led by De-a Arhitectura, a longstanding partner of the festival, these workshops invite children to imagine and create unique pieces of urban furniture meant to encourage community engagement.
For more information on films, screenings, and ticketing, visit the official website at www.urbaneye.ro.
Organized by the ARTA in Dialogue Association, the UrbanEye Film Festival combines complementary activities to address urban and architectural themes through film. Since its debut in Bucharest in 2014, the festival has expanded to other cities like Cluj and held its first edition in Reșița earlier this year alongside the Street Delivery initiative.