Wim Wenders on Why He Made a Documentary About Architect Peter Zumthor, and How Brad Pitt Helped Get It Made
Wim Wenders' 3D documentary "From Inside Out" premiered at the Venice Film Festival, exploring the work of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, with particular focus on the design and construction of the David Geffen Galleries at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA). The film is the product of a 14-year collaboration between Wenders and Zumthor, tracing how the architect designs buildings that harmonise with their surroundings and serve their occupants; it matters as a rare cinematic deep-dive into a celebrated but reclusive architect's process, using 3D specifically to capture spatial and architectural detail.
Wenders first encountered Zumthor's work through an unbuilt competition entry for a Berlin gallery, and later made a short film on him for the 13th Architecture Biennale before embarking on the feature documentary. The film features real people who use or visit Zumthor's buildings rather than actors, and includes appearances from Ava DuVernay, Werner Herzog, Ever Anderson, Sophie Hunger, Tarek Atoui and Aoi Yamada. Brad Pitt, an outspoken public supporter of the LACMA building during City Council debates, joined as executive producer after Wenders met him during the gallery's construction.
- Wenders' Zumthor documentary "From Inside Out" premieres at Venice in 3D.
- Film centres on LACMA's David Geffen Galleries after 14-year collaboration.
- Brad Pitt, a vocal LACMA building supporter, became executive producer.