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Wim Wenders’ 3D documentary “From Inside Out,” which has its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival on Sunday, examines the work of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor, paying particular attention to
the design and construction of the David Geffen Galleries of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
In the film, the result of a 14-year collaboration with the architect, Zumthor explains how he approaches the design of his buildings so that they are in harmony with their surroundings and serve the people who will use them.
Wenders first came across Zumthor’s work when the architect took part in a competition for a gallery building in Berlin, opposite the Neues Museum. “It looked splendid but wasn’t built,” Wenders explains.
Among those appearing in the film are filmmakers Ava DuVernay and Werner Herzog, actress Ever Anderson, singer-songwriter Sophie Hunger, visual artist Tarek Atoui, and actress and dancer Aoi Yamada, who also appeared in Wenders’ “Perfect Days.” Brad Pitt serves as executive producer on the film.
Variety submitted a series of questions to the director about the film, and publishes his written responses below:
When did you first meet Peter Zumthor?
As a commission for the 13th Architecture Biennale, I made a short film on him: “Notes From a Day in the Life of an Architect.” We got along great and decided to do “something real” together, a long feature film.
What motivated you to make a film about him?
I have loved architecture since my childhood and always wanted to know more about the work of an architect. Zumthor seemed like an ideal partner, as his work is truly rethinking the very basis of what architecture is or can be.
What was it about his architecture that made it a suitable subject for a film?
The fact that Zumthor works in quite a radical way. He spends more time on each building than most of his colleagues, both in the design and the construction process. Like other artists, he feels that a building is not done or finished with the approved plans, but that it is shaped only in its construction process. As a filmmaker, I share that approach.
Why did you choose to shoot it as a 3D film?
No visual language would be more suitable for architecture than 3D.
Can you speak about the role of the people in the film? Are they actors?
They are not “actors.” They are real people who visit the buildings by Peter Zumthor or live in them. They see these places, and the audience sees and experiences them through their eyes.
Was the construction of the David Geffen Galleries pivotal to the film?
Absolutely. We had already started the film when the building of the new LACMA became real and was no longer just a project. Peter and I agreed that the film should definitely include this milestone in his career, and what was already a “long-term observation” now became even longer. I also met Brad Pitt at that moment, as he had been an ardent defender of Zumthor’s building, even in front of the City Council, and he agreed to help make the film.
Can you explain how Zumthor contributed to the making of the film?
We shot countless times with Zumthor over a period of 14 years, both in his office in Switzerland as well as all over the world. He always made himself available for our film, opened his archives and answered each and every one of my questions.
