Film Screening: Our Houses Are Dying - An Evening About Demolition
An evening of short films taking us to Japan, Germany and beyond while poetically investigating the impact of demolition on communities, memory and the climate. With an introduction by Kasper Benjamin Reimer Bjørkskov.
Across much of Europe, demolishing a perfectly functional building is still more profitable than renovating it. The consequences for the climate are immense, but so is the damage to communities and collective memory.
Join us for an evening of short film screenings poetically exploring demolition from the perspective of inhabitants and the buildings themselves, while transporting you from Germany to Japan and beyond.
The showing will be introduced by Kasper Benjamin Reimer Bjørkskov, who quit his job as an architect because of the realisation that “The current business models in the industry are not sufficiently capable of driving the transformation needed for a sustainable future.”
Bjørkskov will frame the films within a wider story of why demolition is prioritized over renovation. After the film Bjørkskov will be in conversation with Jannes Schmidt director of My House Is Dying.
About the films
MY HOUSE IS DYING
When young filmmaker Jannes Schmidt finds a temporary flat in a building dating from 1948, he is delighted. As he uncovers the building’s remarkable history, he increasingly questions why it should be demolished at all. What do we lose in this relentless cycle of demolition and new construction? Through deeply personal stories, My House is Dying reveals how this culture of demolition alienates people from one another, breaks apart communities and worsens the housing crisis.
Directed by: Jannes Schmidt
MOVING IN TIME
Standing beside the River Vecht, the Kruserbrink tower blocks were a familiar landmark. Built in 1962, they were often described as the ‘maternity ward’ of the town of Hardenberg, where generations began their lives. The first of the three blocks was demolished in 2010 and the remaining two followed in 2025. In Moving in Time, filmmaker Barbara de Baare pays tribute to these iconic buildings and the close-knit community that grew around them.
Directed by: Barbara de Baare
ELEPHANT FAMILIES
For many years, the much-maligned Elephant & Castle Shopping Centre was where Latin American immigrants in London truly felt at home. In 2020, however, it was demolished as part of a neighbourhood regeneration scheme. Filmmaker Elena Escalante looks back on the years when this overlooked building housed Colombian restaurants, Brazilian shops and Venezuelan cafés.
Directed by: Elena Escalante
UMBRELLA HOUSE
‘A house is art’, the Japanese architect Kazuo Shinohara once declared. His wooden Umbrella House, built in 1961, was saved from demolition in Tokyo before being carefully reconstructed on the Vitra Campus in Germany. An atmospheric portrait of an extraordinary building, captured on analogue film and accompanied by a distinctive soundtrack.
Directed by: Michaela Nettell
