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1st CineCubo IAB Short Film Festival

We will cover the development, control, viability, and fabrication of complex geometries by associating project parameters using Grasshopper, the most advanced generative modeling software for architecture and design.

Drawing inspiration from nature to create innovative projects is the core concept of biomimicry. This science studies the vast array of strategies nature employs to ensure the survival and reproduction of living organisms on the planet. By understanding these strategies, it is possible to foster innovation across all forms of design. We utilize the creative journey known as Biomimicry Thinking, which enables nature-inspired creation even for those without a background in science.

The "Modern Architecture in São Paulo" course presents a special edition in July focusing on Lina Bo Bardi. The sessions will feature historical-critical theoretical approaches to the architect's work, in addition to guided tours of two projects: MASP and SESC Pompéia. During these tours, the architecture will be experienced and discussed in detail on-site.

The award-winning film directed by Eliane Caffé chronicles the journey of refugees newly arrived in Brazil who, alongside homeless workers, occupy an old abandoned building in downtown São Paulo.
The film ‘Era o Hotel Cambridge,’ directed by Eliane Caffé and winner of numerous awards, will be screened for free this Thursday, July 4th, at 7:00 PM at Espaço Itaú de Cinema, in an event hosted by Escola da Cidade and Arq.Futuro. The feature film, which premiered commercially in 2017 and inspired a book published by Edições Sesc São Paulo, follows the journey of refugees newly arrived in Brazil who, together with homeless workers, occupy an old abandoned building in downtown São Paulo. Amidst the daily tension of the threat of eviction, the film reveals personal dramas, comedic situations, and diverse worldviews.
The screening will take place at Espaço Itaú de Cinema (Rua Augusta 1475), Room 1, starting at 7:00 PM. Following the screening, at 8:30 PM, there will be a panel discussion with guest speakers on the topic of the ‘Right to the City.’ Admission is free.
The debate will feature Claudete Lindoso, representative of the MSTC (Movimento Sem Teto do Centro); Tomas Alvim, co-founder of Arq.Futuro; Carla Caffé, professor at Escola da Cidade; and Mariana Chiesa Gouveia Nascimento, who holds a master’s and doctorate in State Law.
The film’s art direction was developed in partnership with students from the Escola da Cidade – Faculty of Architecture and Urbanism, a pedagogical and artistic experience that explored the boundaries between architecture and cinema, and between art and education.
The project’s preparation took two years and was managed by a collective that transformed the entire building—a real-life conflict zone—into the creative set for the film. This collective was composed of four main groups: architecture students from Escola da Cidade, the film’s production team, leaders from the FLM (Frente de Luta pela Moradia), and the group of refugees. Through workshops held within the occupation, the raw material for refining the script and art direction emerged. The boldness of this experiment ensured the film’s authenticity and dramatic power.
The experience led to the book ‘Era o Hotel Cambridge: arquitetura, cinema e educação,’ by architect, art director, and Escola da Cidade professor Carla Caffé. Written in graphic novel format and featuring interviews and essays, the book portrays the process of creating the film’s art direction, costumes, and set design with the participation of the school’s students, extending the pedagogical process beyond the school’s walls.
Cinema with Architecture
The partnership between architecture and cinema in this film is evident not only in the script but also in the approach to the film set, representing an unprecedented way of combining filmmaking with architectural practice.
The sets were not designed to be dismantled, but rather to last as long as the occupation exists. In the script, the occupied building breathes like a character; the film unveils the subtleties of vernacular design, born from improvisation and the limits of survival.
The building’s maintenance serves as one of the backdrops for the relationships between the characters. Conflicts are intertwined with the need to care for the space, such as the natural spring in the building’s basement, which still flows daily as it is located on the former bed of the Saracura River, one of the major tributaries of the Anhangabaú Valley.
Recently, the Cambridge building was declared an area of social interest by public authorities, awaiting a retrofit for low-income housing. However, the highlight of this experience was strengthening the students' political engagement and helping them grasp the importance and social responsibility of the architect, working at the margins, influencing and provoking transformative situations and perspectives.
Some of the film’s sets were designed to address not only the script’s requirements but also the needs of the Cambridge community. The students held open presentations for the residents of the occupation so that everyone could understand and provide feedback on the projects to be implemented.
“The set design, understood as ephemeral architecture, was treated as a way to equip the meeting points and interaction areas of the building’s common spaces to encourage the movement’s spirit of collectivity,” comments professor Carla Caffé.
The collaborative nature of the practical activities was extended through workshops by the Spanish collective Basurama (www.basurama.org), which develops architecture and urban resignification projects by utilizing discarded materials collected from recycling points throughout the city of São Paulo.
The team was sensitized to the abundance and disposal of reusable materials, such as fruit crates, pallets, abandoned furniture, and tires, transforming them into shelves, armchairs, work tables, and objects that would be used both as set elements for the film and by the occupation itself.
List of Festivals and Awards:
– 8th Cinemigrante International Film Festival | Best International Feature Film (Periférica Cine Award) and Best Latin American Feature Film (CineMigrante/IOM Award) – Argentina, 2017
Best International and Latin American Feature Film
– International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights | Honorable Mention (International Jury) – Switzerland, 2017
– 2nd Brazilian Cinema Week | National Cinematheque of Mexico – Mexico, 2017
- Cine Brasil Marginal Exhibition – Switzerland, 2017
– 33rd Reflections of Iberian & Latin American Cinema | Villeurbanne Festival – France, 2017
– 29th Cinélatino Film Festival | Toulouse Meetings – France, 2017
– 39th Créteil International Women's Film Festival – Maison Des Artes | Films de Femmes – France, 2017
– 20th Tiradentes Film Festival – 2017
– Dominican Global Film Festival – Dominican Republic, 2017
– 40th Göteborg Film Festival – Sweden, 2017
– 9th Bengaluru International Film Festival – India, 2017
– 5th Diaspora Film Festival – Korea, 2017
– 35th Munich International Film Festival | International Independents – Germany, 2017
– 21st Résistances Film Festival – France, 2017
– 40th São Paulo International Film Festival | Best Film (Audience Award) – 2016
– 18th Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival | Première Brasil | FIPRESCI Critics' Award, Best Film (Audience Award), and Best Editing – 2016
– 64th San Sebastián International Film Festival | Horizontes Latinos | Spanish Cooperation Award | Honorable Mention – Spain, 2016
– 8th Border International Film Festival | International Competitive Section | Best Film and Best Performance (Carmen Silva) – 2016
– 11th Fest Aruanda of Brazilian Audiovisual | Best Feature (ABRACCINE Jury), Best Feature (Official Jury), and Best Actress (Suely Franco) – 2016
- 7th Pachamama International Film Festival | Border Cinema | Closing Session – 2016
– 18th Tbilisi International Film Festival – Georgia, 2016
- 20th Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival – Estonia, 2016
– 63rd San Sebastián International Film Festival | Industry Award | Cine en Construcción 28 | Finishing Support – Spain, 2015
– Hubert Bals Fund | Post-production Support – Netherlands, 2015
CREDITS (FILM):
Era o Hotel Cambridge
Director: Eliane Caffé
Produced by: Rui Pires, André Montenegro, Edgard Tenembaum, and Amiel Tenenbaum
Art Director: Carla Caffé and students from Escola da Cidade
Director of Photography and Camera: Bruno Risas
Editing: Márcio Hashimoto
Cast: José Dumont, Carmen Silva, Isam Ahamad Issa, and Guylain Mukendi
Guest Actress: Suely Franco
Special Appearance: Lucia Pulido and Ibtessam Umran
Genre: Drama
Production: Aurora Filmes
Co-production: Tu Vas Voir (France), Nephilim Producciones (Spain), and Apoio (Brazil)
Distribution: Vitrine Filmes

The Modern Architecture in São Paulo course presents a special edition in July dedicated to Lina Bo Bardi. The sessions will feature historical-critical theoretical approaches to the architect's work, in addition to guided tours of two projects: MASP and SESC Pompéia. During these tours, the architecture will be experienced and discussed in detail on-site.

As part of the fifth edition of the Tank Festival, on July 6, 2019, at 7:30 p.m., in the vacant lot currently surrounding the El Tanque Cultural Space in Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the works of more than 30 artists will be displayed—literally—on a tower created from wooden chairs. This action will advocate for strengthening the Cultural Space through consistent programming and appropriate public funding, as well as for the renovation of its surroundings based on the design by architect Fernando Menis, who proposed a banana tree garden.

The "Modern Architecture in São Paulo" course is offering special editions in July and August dedicated exclusively to Lina Bo Bardi. The sessions will provide historical-critical theoretical approaches to the architect's work, in addition to guided tours of two projects: MASP and SESC Pompéia. During these visits, the architecture will be experienced and discussed in detail on-site.

Boldarini Arquitetos Associados and Plataforma Nhamerica, with the support of the Instituto de Arquitetos do Brasil – São Paulo Department, invite you to the launch of their eponymous bilingual book.

Islands have always exerted a peculiar fascination on the individual and collective imagination, as evidenced by their diverse representations in art, culture, and literature, as well as their success in the contemporary tourism industry. While in exile and attempting to familiarize herself with the Caribbean islands, María Zambrano wrote: "the role of islands is to act as a magnet that draws the imagination toward something primary, not yet corrupted by human nature." This tendency to project the most idyllic places onto the edges of the sea persists in the collective imagination today. When we think of summer or vacations, our minds often gravitate toward the mental construction of islands—places where we dream and fantasize that happiness, calm, and harmony are possible alongside a sunset.

A dialogue on the contribution of Martín Chirino to architecture, landscape, and the identity of the Canary Islands through his sculpture. In his spiral structures, the smallest part is always equal to the largest through a multiplication that tends toward infinity. Chirino's spiral appears to be an interpretation of the structure that distributes the islands throughout the world; in part, it reflects how islanders view themselves. Participants include Magüi González, architect and professor of Projects at the Higher Technical School of Architecture of the University of Las Palmas; Fernando Menis, architect and president of the Laboratory for Innovation in Architecture, Landscape and Advanced Tourism of Tenerife; and Jesús Castaño, director of the Martín Chirino Foundation for Art and Thought.

SEMANAU – The UFERSA Architecture and Urbanism Week is an event hosted by the first public Architecture and Urbanism program in the semi-arid region, at the Ufersa Pau dos Ferros campus. Coordinated by faculty members Tamms Morais and Gabriel Leopoldino, the event’s primary objective is to connect students from a public university in the interior of Rio Grande do Norte with professionals, students, and researchers in architecture, urbanism, and related fields.

On Saturday, July 20, the TransLAB.URB collective, at the invitation of the JUSTO team, will host another edition of the Micro Escola Urbana, this time with a winter-themed approach.

{CURA}, an acronym for architectural representation courses, is an independent school that focuses on training architects and students to improve their graphic representation skills. In July, {CURA}, located in downtown São Paulo, is holding its Summer Intensive and opening new classes for August and September.

The "Monomaterial Practices" talk presents the work of the Dum Dum Lab office over the last four years, featuring an architectural approach that focuses on proposals developed through material research. Projects to be presented include various material installations developed during their Workshop Series, held at different architecture schools across Chile, as well as larger-scale pavilions that have been part of competitions such as the recent YAP Constructo Young Architect Program 2019.

The third online seminar in the series presents the partnerships that can be established between universities and municipal governments for the development of Complete Streets projects, promoting integrated work between academia and the public sector. These partnerships enable practical experiences within universities and contribute technical knowledge to the projects.

In the year marking the centenary of his birth, the fifth edition of the Canary Islands' Tank Festival is dedicating an event to the work and memory of artist César Manrique. The event will feature a screening of the documentary "Taro, el eco de Manrique" (58 min., Miguel G. Morales), a feature film that brings us closer to the figure and ecological message of the Spanish artist, born in Lanzarote, through his own voice, reflections, actions, and projects. His involvement, his advocacy, his confrontations with authorities and developers, and his commitment to the cultural and landscape values of Lanzarote transformed him into a symbol, adding a socio-political dimension to his creative personality. The screening will be followed by a discussion between the documentary's director, Miguel G., and architect Fernando Menis. This event is held in collaboration with the César Manrique Foundation and the Hatching Festival.

Screening: "Bernardes" [85 min | 2014 | documentary] directed by Paulo de Barros and Gustavo Gama Rodrigues, cinematography by Stefan Hess, editing by Yan Motta, and produced by 6D and Rinoceronte Produções.