Ciclo de cine | Miradas en el diseño As part of the exhibition Here We Are! Women in Design 1900–Today, Fundación Proa presents a film series held every Sunday from June 1 to July 27. Curated by Ana Carrino, the program features 13 films—documentaries and fiction works—that explore the lives and work of key figures in 20th-century design and architecture, their most iconic projects, creative processes, and the social and historical contexts in which they developed their work. The films span a range of geographies and styles, presenting design as a practice in dialogue with major political, technological, and cultural events of the past century. Highlights include the stories of Anni and Josef Albers, Ray and Charles Eames, and Aino and Alvar Aalto—the power couples of modernism—as well as the contributions of Lina Bo Bardi, Eileen Gray, Eva Zeisel, and Grethe Meyer, along with contemporary perspectives such as that of Argentine architect Emilio Ambasz, a pioneer of green architecture. Several films are being screened in Argentina for the first time, including L’Inhumaine (France, 1924), a fiction film directed by Marcel L’Herbier with contributions by artist Fernand Léger and architect Rob Mallet-Stevens. This 135-minute silent film tells the story of a famous prima donna who captivates those around her, serving also as a visual manifesto of the artistic avant-garde of the 1920s. Another premiere is the documentary Precise Poetry (Germany, Austria, Brazil, 2013), in which director Belinda Rukschio examines the figure of Lina Bo Bardi through interviews with her closest collaborators. The film journeys through her most representative buildings to offer an ideological and professional portrait of the Italo-Brazilian architect and a deep reading of her legacy. The screenings will take place in the Proa Auditorium, with double features every Sunday, followed by conversations and interviews with invited guests and specialists.
Programming
Sunday, June 1 – Opening
Josef and Anni Albers: Art Is Everywhere
A film by Sedat Pakay, produced by Hudson Film Works (2006). Courtesy of the Josef and Anni Albers Foundation.
A toast will be offered after the screening to celebrate the beginning of the film series.
The Mies Van Der Rohes – A Female Family Saga
Germany, 2023 | Documentary | Dir. Sabine Gisiger | 90 min.
An epic family saga set during the modernist era, told through the women who surrounded the iconic architect Mies van der Rohe.
Sunday, June 8
Precise Poetry
Germany, Austria, Brazil, 2013 | Documentary | Dir. Belinda Rukschcio | 54 min.
Through interviews with her closest collaborators, Precise Poetry explores the trajectory, personality, and interests of the Italo-Brazilian architect. Structured around visits to her buildings, the documentary presents vivid and still relevant works that clearly reflect a strong ideological stance.
Documentary provided and edited by Fundación Arquia.
Throwing Curves: Eva Zeisel
USA, 2002 | Documentary | Dir. Jyll Johnstone | 60 min.
An exploration of the life of Eva Zeisel, the innovative ceramic designer whose career spanned more than 75 years. From her imprisonment in the Soviet Union to her success in the United States, the film highlights her indomitable spirit and revolutionary approach to designing everyday objects.
Sunday, June 15
Grethe Meyer – The Queen of Danish Design
Denmark, 2021 | Documentary | Dir. Isabel Bernadette Brammer | 60 min.
The story of one of the few pioneering women who insisted on creating designs that remain popular today—despite the heavy consequences it had for her.
This screening will be accompanied by a live interview with director Isabel Bernadette Brammer.
Objectified
USA, 2009 | Documentary | Dir. Gary Hustwit | 75 min.
A documentary examining the creativity and impact of industrial design on everyday life. Through interviews with renowned designers and case studies of iconic products, the film explores the relationship between objects and people, revealing the processes behind their creation and production.
Sunday, June 22
Green Over Gray. Emilio Ambasz
Italy, 2023 | Documentary | Dir. Francesca Molteni, Mattia Colombo | 56 min.
Green Over Gray recounts the revolution of Green Architecture through significant projects by architect Emilio Ambasz (born in Resistencia, Argentina, in 1943), from the 1970s to the early 2000s. These works anticipated today's debates on climate impact and propose a vision of nature that, over 40 years later, is recognized as a turning point in the human-environment relationship.
Lotte am Bauhaus
Germany, 2019 | Fiction | Dir. Gregor Schnitzler | 105 min.
Lotte am Bauhaus reclaims the long-overlooked role of the women who studied at the Bauhaus. The film is based on the fictional character Lotte Brendel (inspired by Alma Siedhoff-Buscher), who designed toys specifically for children.
Sunday, June 29
L’Inhumaine
France, 1924 | Fiction | Dir. Marcel L'Herbier | 135 min.
The Inhuman Woman tells the story of the fascination exerted by a famous prima donna, Claire Lescot, over the men around her. In this silent film, both the narrative and the celebration of mid-1920s French artistic expressions are central. Director Marcel L'Herbier collaborated with artist Fernand Léger and architect Rob Mallet-Stevens.
Sunday, July 6
Aalto, Architect of Emotions
Finland, 2020 | Documentary | Dir. Virpi Suutari | 85 min.
The love story of Alvar and Aino Aalto, the Finnish masters of modern architecture and design. A journey through their creations and their influence across the world.
Eileen Gray, Invitation to a Voyage
Germany, 2006 | Documentary | Dir. Jörg Bundschuh | 60 min.
An intellectual and personal journey through the life of architect Eileen Gray, along with a thorough description of the house she began building in 1926 with Jean Badovici under the enigmatic name E.1027—one of the most important private residences in modern architecture. Eighty years later, cameras enter the house for the first time.
Documentary provided and edited by Fundación Arquia.
Sunday, July 13
Eames, the Architect and the Painter
USA, 2021 | Documentary | Dir. Jason Cohn, Bill Jersey | 103 min.
A journey through the life and work of Charles and Ray Eames, the iconic design couple who revolutionized architecture, furniture, and film. The documentary includes previously unseen archival material and interviews with collaborators, revealing the creativity and cultural impact of their work on 20th-century design.
Sunday, July 20
The Colour Room
UK, 2021 | Fiction | Dir. Claire McCarthy | 112 min.
Clarice Cliff breaks the glass ceiling and revolutionizes the work environment of a ceramic factory in 1920s England.
Sunday, July 27
L’Inhumaine
France, 1924 | Fiction | Dir. Marcel L'Herbier | 135 min.
The Inhuman Woman tells the story of the fascination exerted by a famous prima donna, Claire Lescot, over the men around her. In this silent film, both the narrative and the celebration of mid-1920s French artistic expressions are central. Director Marcel L'Herbier collaborated with artist Fernand Léger and architect Rob Mallet-Stevens.