Film Traces the Roots of West Coast Modern Architecture

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Coast Modern

We're excited for the Bay Area premiere of the film Coast Modern, showing on Monday, Oct. 14, at the lovely Rialto Cinemas Cerrito theater, not least because Eichler Network features editor Dave Weinstein will be speaking. Weinstein joins architect Henrik Bull and other Bay Area architects for a discussion about the film, and Bay Area modernism in general.

But the film itself, directed by Mike Bernard and Gavin Froome, is the real attraction here: "Travelling along the Pacific North West coastline from L.A. to Vancouver, the film showcases the pioneers of West Coast Modernist Architecture, and the homes that have become their legacies," Coast Modern's website explains.

An upcoming CA-Modern review of the film describes the work as  "no mindless celebration of the sleek and slick." Through interviews with architects, critics, authors, and homeowners, the film attempts a thoughtful exploration of what West Coast modern architecture tries to accomplish. It simultaneously skewers shelter magazines' often soulless photo spreads of perfectly retro couples in perfectly appointed retro homes.

"This relaxed journey takes us across three generations of Modernist architecture, all finding beauty in their own times, and all taking us back to the basics of true living – a sense of place, light, and a deep connection to the earth," according to the website.

And if that's not enough to interest you, the Cerrito theater's beer, wine, and pizza offerings just might do the trick.