Álvaro Siza Vieira

The First Siza is a documentary about the Four Houses—Álvaro Siza’s first built work, designed while he was still a student—and the impact of architecture on people’s lives. Centred around the reunion—60 years later—between the architect and Fernando Neto, his first client and the owner of one of the houses in Matosinhos, the film reveals how this project became a turning point in Siza’s career.

Open details →

Open details →

How can structures, which take up defined, rigid portions of space, make us feel transcendence? How can chapels turn into places of introspection? How can walls grant boundless freedom? Driven by intense childhood impressions, director Christoph Schaub visits extraordinary churches, both ancient and futuristic, and discovers works of art that take him up to the skies and all the way down to the bottom of the ocean. With the help of architects Peter Zumthor, Peter Märkli, and Álvaro Siza Vieira, artists James Turrell and Cristina Iglesias, and drummer Sergé “Jojo” Mayer, he tries to make sense of the world and decipher our spiritual experiences using the seemingly abstract concepts of light, time, rhythm, sound, and shape. The superb cinematography turns this contemplative search into a multi-sensory experience.

Open details →

Documentary adaptation of the book "Labirinto da Saudade," a deconstruction of the Portuguese ethos from a philosophical and historical point of view, written by Eduardo Lourenço.

Open details →

Talking about architecture with Álvaro Siza Vieira, Pritzker Prize and one of this century’s finest architects, socialist and passionate smoker. The film spotlights his early work and allows the viewer to gain insight into Siza’s way of working and thinking.

Open details →

Created on the initiative of the architect Nuno Portas as Secretary of State for Housing and Urban Development of the First Provisional Government, the Local Ambulatory Support Service (SAAL) was a housing assistance program promoted by Resident Associations. The Portuguese Architecture of 25th of April is SAAL - an unparalleled movement in the history of architecture thinking, which served as an example and discussion for many other projects at an international level.

Open details →

A documentary about Álvaro Siza Vieira in Cape Verde and his project to restore the old town of Ribeira Grande, the first city to be built by the Portuguese in Cape Verde on the island of Santiago in 1462.

Open details →

In Alvaro Siza: Transforming Reality Portugal's renowned architect reviews his work with architectural historian, Kenneth Frampton. While touring his projects Siza discusses his approach to architecture, explaining that it is centered around the idea that setting is integral to design and that a structure should be reinforced by surroundings that both enhance and highlight its potential.

Open details →

Open details →

The First Siza is a documentary about the Four Houses, Álvaro Siza’s first built work, designed while he was still a student, and the impact of architecture on people’s lives.

Open details →

Centred around the reunion — 60 years later — between the architect and Fernando Neto, his first client and the owner of one of the houses in Matosinhos, the film reveals how this project became a turning point in Siza’s career. Featuring interviews with Siza, the houses’ residents, and critic Francesco Dal Co, as well as current and archival footage, the narrative explores how architecture and the lives of its inhabitants become deeply intertwined over time.

Open details →