Top 5 Films and Documentaries on Design

Two of the creative minds behind Ciszak Dalmas Ferrari Studio share the films and docs that have most influenced them

Architect Matteo Ferrari and product designer Andrea Caruso are the creative minds behind Ciszak Dalmas Ferrari Studio, based in Madrid. Both Matteo and Andrea have drawn on a wide range of influences to expand their intellectual awareness and aesthetic understanding over the years, helping them to develop and evolve their practice. In this blog post, they share a selection of films and documentaries that have inspired them, and which can be seen reflected in their work.

Alvar Aalto: Technology and Nature

This Phaidon-produced documentary explores the life and work of Finnish designer and architect, Alvar Aalto (1898–1976). One of the great figures of modern architecture–ranked alongside Gropius, Le Corbusier, and Mies van der Rohe–Aalto was a pioneer who embraced new technology and organic materials to create structures that were both innovative and had harmonious relationships with their surroundings. This documentary was filmed in Finland, Italy, Germany, and the USA.

Objectified

Through vérité footage and in-depth conversations, Objectified documents the creative processes of some of the world’s most influential product designers, looking at how the things they make can impact our lives. Director Gary Hustwit explores our complex relationship with manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. What can we learn about who we are and who we want to be from the objects with which we surround ourselves?

Abstract: The Art of Design, Seasons 1 & 2

Launched in 2017, this series was created by former Wired editor-in-chief Scott Dadich. It has been called "a deep dive into the art and science of design, showcasing great designers from every discipline whose work shapes our world." It has spotlight creatives such as Olafur Eliasson, Paula Scher, and Jonathan Hoefler.

Mon Oncle

Mon Oncle is a 1958 comedy film by French filmmaker Jacques Tati. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, a Special Prize at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival, and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film. It follows the story of Monsieur Hulot, who visits the technology-driven world of his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew, but he can't quite fit into the surroundings. “This is one of our favorite movies that will make you reflect upon the impact the design can have on our daily life,” say Matteo and Andrea.

Powers of Ten

Powers of Ten is a short American documentary film written and directed by Charles and Ray Eames. Starting at a picnic by the lakeside in Chicago, this famous film transports us to the outer edges of the universe. Every ten seconds, we view the picnic spot from ten times farther out until our galaxy becomes just a speck of light among many others. Returning to Earth with breathtaking speed, we travel inside the hand of the sleeping man on the picnic blanket until we reach the point of being inside a proton of a carbon atom within a DNA molecule in a white blood cell.

Got any other recommendations? Let us know in the comments below!

Matteo Ferrari and Andrea Caruso teach the course, Designing Unique Luxury Spaces.

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