Sagrada: The Mystery of Creation
Architecture & Design • 1h 30m
Directed by Stefan Haupt • Documentary • 2014 • 94 minutes
One of the most iconic structures ever conceived, Barcelona's La Sagrada Familia is an astonishing architectural project first imagined by Antoni Gaudi in the late 19th century. Sagrada: The Mystery of Creation celebrates Gaudi's vision while exploring the continuing work of the thousands of artisans and laborers as they strive to complete the colossal basilica.
Despite the ongoing construction, La Sagrada Familia has been admired by art historians for decades. Pulitzer Prize winner Paul Goldberger called it "the most extraordinary personal interpretation of Gothic architecture since the Middle Ages."
The film captures the basilica's quiet ambiance as it peers into nooks and crannies and listens to those who have devoted their lives to work on it. This unhurried, meticulous investigation allows the viewer time to observe, perceive, and reflect upon the historical and spiritual significance of this glorious landmark while gaining deep insight into the ongoing process of artistic creation.
"A peaceful and gently stirring documentary that considers faith and architecture and human achievement in something like geologic time. Director Stefan Haupt persuades viewers to surrender to a place, to a vision, and to a scale of thinking beyond our own lives." - Village Voice
Up Next in Architecture & Design
-
The Destruction of Memory
Directed by Tim Slade • Documentary • 2016 • 85 minutes
The bombing of Sarajevo's National Library and the burning of its ancient books. The looting of the Iraqi National Museum and destruction of its priceless historical objects. The beheading of Kahled al-Asaad, long-time lead archaeologist fo...
-
Lost Rivers
Directed by Caroline Bacle • Documentary • 2012 • 72 minutes
Nearly every major city was built near the convergence of many rivers. As cities grew with the Industrial Revolution, these rivers became conduits for disease and pollution. The 19th-century solution was to bury them underground and me...
-
All the World's Memory
Directed by Alain Resnais • Documentary • 1956 • 21 minutes
This recently restored early short by French New Wave director Alain Resnais (perhaps best known for Hiroshima Mon Amour), pays homage to the National Library of France. For centuries, the library has served as a repository for all the ...
