50% of the earth鈥檚 population live in urban centres, a figure that is predicted to rise to over 75% by 2050; City Visions is a series of films, talks and debates that celebrate the energy of modern cities whilst exposing memorable images of urban decay and deprivation. The season engages with conversations around architecture, urban planning and globalisation, and will run alongside the Barbican Art Gallery exhibition Constructing Worlds: Photography and Architecture in the Modern Age.
City Visions opens with a special preview screening of Cathedrals of Culture: an innovative six part 3D film which offers startling responses to the question: 鈥渋f buildings could talk, what would they say about us?鈥 Screenings are accompanied by Screentalks, introductions, panel discussions and live musical accompaniment from eminent authors, artists, directors, musicians and composers from all over the world.
Introductions include journalist and playwright Bonnie Greer talking about Spike Lee鈥檚 Do The Right Thing; and filmmaker and author Richard Misek introducing his documentary Rohmer in Paris. This film explores director 脡ric Rohmer鈥檚 lifelong relationship with the world鈥檚 most cinematic city, Paris, and links to a screening of Rohmer鈥檚 Love in the Afternoon and other screenings of Jean Luc Godard鈥檚 Two or Three Things I Know About Her and Mathieu Kassovitz鈥檚 La Haine.
City Visions crosses continents with Jia Zhangke鈥檚 bloody and bitter film A Touch of Sin building a portrait of a rapidly expanding China, and Libbie D. Cohn鈥檚 People鈥檚 Park, which takes us on a single-shot journey through a bustling urban park in Chengdu city.
South America鈥檚 changing landscape is celebrated in Precise Poetry/Lina Bo Bardi鈥檚 Architecture which looks at the Bardi鈥檚 projects in S茫o Paulo, and a UK premiere of S茫o Paulo, A Metropolitan Symphony 鈥 screened for the first time in 85 years with live piano accompaniment by Cl茅lia Iruzan.
The cinematic world of the USA becomes a focal point with Richard Martin introducing David Lynch鈥檚 anxiety drenched, LA based Mulholland Drive, while the 10th Anniversary of Thom Andersen鈥檚 remastered Los Angeles Plays Itself weaves together clips from hundreds of movies to build a fascinating argument about Hollywood representation of LA.
City Visions will then celebrate New York with Jem Cohen NYC Films 鈥 30-years of NY-based footage compiled by the music video director; Woody Allen鈥檚 love-letter to the city Manhattan; and the silent short Manhatta, based on a poem by Walt Whitman and joining Barbican鈥檚 cycle of 1920s silent films known as City Symphonies.
Finally, audiences can vote to see their favourite city film screened at the Barbican on Saturday 27 September, alongside the 3-minute films made by readers from cities around the world as part of Guardian Cities film competition.
City Visions: A season of films, talks and debates exploring modern cities around the world. 25 September to 8 October 2014. Barbican Cinema, Barbican Centre, London. For more information visit .
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Credits
1. Image 漏 Nadav Kander, 2006.
