Architecture & Design Film Festival: Toronto 2025

The Architecture & Design Film Festival (ADFF) returns to Toronto this fall with an inspiring lineup of 14 international films, panel conversations and design-forward experiences celebrating the power of design. Presented by Eventscape, this year’s edition runs November 12–15, 2025 at TIFF Lightbox and features stories that explore how design shapes our cities, our values and our shared future.

“Each year, we seek out films that entertain, educate and spark community,” says ADFF Founder and Director Kyle Bergman, AIA. “This year’s selections are packed with stories of people using design as a force for good—whether that means confronting environmental extremes, rethinking city streets, or celebrating unsung creative pioneers.”

Opening Night:
The festival opens with the Canadian premiere of Identity: A Czech Graphic Design Love Story—a playful and poignant exploration of national identity told through the lens of graphic design. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with the film’s narrator, Nicholas D. Lowry, President and Principal Auctioneer of Swann Auction Galleries and appraiser on Antiques Roadshow.

Film Highlights:
The 2025 lineup features a wide range of stories spanning continents and disciplines, including:

• Miralles (Spain) — A lyrical, non-linear portrait of Catalan master architect Enric Miralles.
• Kensington Market: Heart of the City (Canada) — A documentary on community, culture and resistance in one of Toronto’s most beloved neighbourhoods.
• Changing Lanes (USA) — A grassroots movement transforms a deadly Brooklyn road into a safer, cyclist-friendly space.
• Building on the Edge (USA) — Architecture students tackle Antarctic design challenges with resilience and creativity.
• The Space Architect (USA) — A tribute to NASA architect Constance Adams and her vision for planetary design and sustainability.
• Tracing Light (Germany), At the Garden’s Pace (Netherlands) and Lewerentz Divine Darkness (Sweden) — Visually striking meditations on the poetry and power of architecture.

Special Event:
The Big Brutal Quiz offers a lively screening and trivia night hosted by Dutch filmmaker and architect Jord den Hollander, exploring Brutalism’s enduring influence on film and pop culture.

Panel Conversations & Guests:
Select films will be followed by panel discussions co-presented with the Toronto Society of Architects, featuring filmmakers, architects and designers discussing the ideas and issues raised on screen.