Cathedrals of Culture (2014)

Six directors tackle the question "If buildings could talk, what would they say about us?" by capturing iconic buildings with narration from the perspective of the buildings.

Directors:

Karim Aïnouz, Michael Glawogger

Writers:

Wim Wenders (segment), Michael Glawogger (segment)

Stars:

Meret Becker, Gennadi Vengerov, Benedicte C. Westin

2 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Meret Becker	...	Narrator (segment "The Berlin Philharmonic") (voice)
Gennadi Vengerov	...	Narrator (segment "The National Library of Russia") (voice)
Benedicte C. Westin	...	Narrator (segment "Halden Prison") (voice)
Jonas Salk	...	Himself (segment "The Salk Institute") (archive footage)
Louis Khan	...	Himself (segment "The Salk Institute") (archive footage)
Clodagh O'Shea	...	Herself (segment "The Salk Institute")
Thomas D. Albright	...	Himself (segment "The Salk Institute")
Greg Lemke	...	Himself (segment "The Salk Institute")
Jessie Vermillo	...	Himself (segment "The Salk Institute")
Margreth Olin	...	Narrator (segment "The Oslo Opera House") (voice)
Deyan Sudjic	...	Narrator (segment "Centre Pompidou") (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Martin Baer	...	Himself (segment "The Berlin Philharmonic")
Nicos Appelqvist Dalton	...	(segment "Halden Prison")
Diego Garcia-Guerra	...	Himself (segment "The Berlin Philharmonic")
Rachel Hulleur	...	Herself (segment "The Berlin Philharmonic")

Storyline

Six directors tackle the question "If buildings could talk, what would they say about us?" by capturing iconic buildings with narration from the perspective of the buildings.

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Plot Keywords:

anthology | title directed by female | building | f rated | voice over narration | 

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Taglines:

A 3D film project about the soul of buildings

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Genres:

Documentary

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Austria] Official site [Germany]

Country:

Germany Denmark Norway Austria France USA Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 May 2014 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Cathedrals of Culture: Centre Georges Pompidou

Filming Locations:

Berliner Philharmonie, Berlin, Germany

Box Office

Budget:

€3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Neue Road Movies, Final Cut for Real, Lotus Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

165 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Candidates for Michael Glawogger's subject included the Vatican Library and the Bodleian Library of Oxford University before he eventually took the National Library of Russia in St Petersburg, where the books were more accessible than in the others.

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Connections

Follows If Buildings Could Talk (2010)

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Soundtracks

Suiten für Violoncello solo
(segment "The Berlin Philharmonic")
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach

User Reviews

Six short films about Architecture plus ....

This is a long documentary (150 minutes plus) which is made up of six shorter separate documentaries, each featuring a different building, and directed by a different (often well- known) director. They are all narrated very well, and often the "narrator" is the building itself. Most people (even those of us from Australia) will recognize some of these iconic buildings. The cinematography is outstanding, and we really get to know each building during its segment. The individual styles of presentation vary from one segment to another, and, in my opinion, some work better than others, but the very good ones are excellent. One in particular, is quite astonishing. (You will know which one I reckon!) So, if you have a liking for architecture of varied styles and purposes, enjoy design and wonder about how a building can shape its surroundings, this will appeal.