The New York edition of the Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) returns to the historic Village East by Angelika theater on October 14-18, 2025. As the largest film festival dedicated to architecture and design, ADFF offers audiences an opportunity to experience the power of personal stories and broader histories at the intersection of the built environment, culture, and community. World and U.S. premieres alongside Q&As with directors, conversations with cultural luminaries, and interactive events make the festival a standout of New York’s fall cultural calendar. This year’s edition features a dynamic lineup of offerings highlighting urgent issues such as sustainability, housing, community resilience, and artistic legacy.

Complementing the film lineup are post-screening discussions featuring Debbie Millman, Michael Kimmelman, Bisi Williams, Bruce Mau, and Deborah Berke, among others.

“ADFF was created to bring a wide range of people together to celebrate the creative and social impact of architecture and design through film,” said Kyle Bergman, Founder and Festival Director of the Architecture & Design Film Festival. “As the festival continues to grow, returning to cities like New York where it has a long history, and expanding to new locations, we consistently see how ADFF inspires dialogue and ideas, not only among architects and designers but also general audiences who discover the way design informs everything.”

Highlights of ADFF:NY 2025 include:

Opening Night, Tuesday, October 14, 6:30-8:45 p.m.

• The U.S. premiere of Identity: A Czech Graphic Design Love Story, followed by a Q&A with the film’s narrator, Nicholas D. Lowry, President and Principal Auctioneer of Swann Auction Galleries and Antiques Roadshow appraiser. Debbie Millman, celebrated designer, author, educator, curator, and host of the pioneering podcast Design Matters, will lead the conversation.
• ADFF's official opening night party returns to Reyna New York (11 E 13th St) from 9:00-11:00 p.m. Please email jessica@novitapr.com to confirm your attendance.

Design Dialogue Featuring Bisi Williams and Bruce Mau of Massive Change Network, Wednesday, October 15, 8:00-9:30 p.m.

• An in-depth conversation with global design leaders Bisi Williams and Bruce Mau of Massive Change Network will follow the screening of I Have A Name. Drawing from their work on “Thorny Opportunities,” Williams and Mau will share insights into how communities can design the world they need, starting with addressing the unhoused crisis. Their talk will reflect on lessons learned from a Life-Centered Design workshop with college students conducted before the event. 

The Big Brutal Quiz, Thursday, October 16, 6:30-8:15 p.m. and Friday, October 17, 8:45-10:30 p.m.

• The Big Brutal Quiz is an interactive architecture-meets-cinema trivia night led by architect and filmmaker Jord den Hollander. This first-of-its-kind ADFF event examines the intersection of brutalist design and film, challenging architects, designers, and film buffs to match legendary buildings with more than 20 on-screen appearances.

ADFF Brunch Hosted by Molteni, October 18, 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. (Brunch) 1:00-2:45 p.m. (Screening)

• Molteni will host a private brunch at the Molteni&C flagship (160 Madison Avenue). Following the brunch, a shuttle will be provided to the 1:00 p.m. screening of Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between the Lines. Complimentary access available upon request. Please email info@adfilmfest.com to confirm your attendance.

World Premieres

• Building on the Edge
• Changing Lanes (Architecture Critic Michael Kimmelman and Former Commissioner of the New York City Department of Transportation Janette Sadik-Khan will participate in a post-screening discussion)
• Prickly Mountain: My Design/Build Life
• The Space Architect (Architect Deborah Berke will participate in a post-screening discussion)

U.S. Premieres

• Arthur Erickson: Beauty Between the Lines (New York premiere)
• At the Garden's Pace
• Kensington Market: Heart of the City
• Living in a Piece of Furniture – Gerrit Rietveld's Houses
• Make Materials Matter
• Miralles
• Tracing Light
• We The Others 

Additional Films

• The Harvard Five
• Lewerentz Divine Darkness

Ticket sales and the full ADFF:NY schedule, including the speaker lineup, are available at adfilmfest.com.

Image courtesy of Novita Communications