Joseph Hillel's new documentary explores how four trailblazing architects – all female – have helped transform our cities.
Phyllis Lambert, Blanche Lemco van Ginkel, Cornelia Hahn Oberlander and Denise Scott Brown have collaborated with some of the leading figures in architecture, from Le Corbusier to Louis Kahn and Mies van der Rohe, while finding their own voices in this male-dominated profession.
Through interviews, archival material and stunning cinematography, Hillel uncovers how each of these independent thinkers has been working, observing and thinking about the transformations shaping the city of today and tomorrow.
{ Opening Night Film - Architecture & Design Film Festival }
"Beautifully shot...invaluable."
- The Globe and Mail
"Inspiring! A love-letter to the field of architecture itself." - In The Seats
"City Dreamers should be required viewing for anyone interested in city planning, urban development, or understanding why preserving neighborhoods is so important. It’s a pleasure to spend time with the women and learn from their experiences." - The Gate
DVD BONUS MATERIALS
Conversations with Denise Scott Brown: “My Pritzker”& “Nowhere Stairs”
Biography of Joseph Hillel
Joseph Hillel now lives in Montreal. He wrote, produced and co-directed his first documentary, Regular or Super, Views on Mies van der Rohe, in 2004. This film on the famous architect won the Award for Best Canadian Film at the 22nd FIFA, Best Photography Prize at the Roma Art Doc Fest, and Special Mention at the Docùpolis International Documentary Festival in Barcelona. In 2009, his second documentary on photography, Karsh Is History, once again received the Award for Best Canadian Film at the 27th FIFA. His previous film on Haitian culture, Ayiti Toma, was released in Quebec in the spring of 2014 and has toured international festivals in such cities as Hamburg, Trieste, Boston, Paris, Guadalajara, New York and Montreal.
Formerly the head of the production house Qu4tre par Quatre Films, he has also produced various short and feature-length films, including La moitié gauche du frigo (The Left Half Side of the Fridge) by Philippe Falardeau, Un crabe dans la tête (Soft Shell Man) by André Turpin, and the documentary Beckett’s Prisoners by Michka Saäl.
