Bridges Film Lab – Open Call 2026

Bridges Film Lab is a newly launched essay film course organised by the Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam and GoGo Film (NL), in collaboration with Nushi Film (GE), CUC (UA), Jardar NGO (AM), UNUN (NL/UA) and Tbilisi Architecture Biennial (GE) and with the results premiering at AFFR – the largest film festival about architecture and the city worldwide – in October 2026.

What is Bridges Film Lab?

Bridges Film Lab is a collaborative film course which brings together filmmakers, architects, artists and thinkers to develop original essay films on the topic ‘Built Past, Haunted Future’ through a process of collective research, dialogue, and creation. Selected participants will develop their ideas into films during an online research and dialogue phase and an in-person Summer School in Kaprashiani, Georgia, culminating in a public premiere at AFFR in Rotterdam in October 2026.

The working language of the program is English. All sessions, communications, and submitted materials must be in English.

Built Past, Haunted Future

Architectural relics and urban fragments can function as reference points for communities, but can also be instrumentalised to assert national narratives, erase histories, or legitimise political agendas. Heritage can be less about preservation and more about power. In some contexts, heritage sites crumble from neglect, while in others they are restored to project visions of historical continuity or triumph. This theme invites participants to reflect on how the built environment holds traces of contested histories and constructed futures by exploring ruins, monuments, grassroots memorials and staged restorations.

What is an Essay Film?

Essay films think through images and sound. They are associative, investigative, and personal — they do not illustrate a thesis, they enact a search. Prior experience with the essay film form is not required, but openness to it is.

What We’re Looking For 

We welcome applications from filmmakers, architects, artists and researchers, as well as practitioners working at the intersection of space, culture and moving image. You must have a strong connection to one of the four countries where the project partners are based, either by residing or coming from The Netherlands, Georgia, Armenia or Ukraine. People of all ages and genders are welcome.

Please come up with a research question, topic, or case you want to investigate through film. It doesn’t need to be a finished concept or complete film plan. The essay film will be developed during the program itself. Your idea should be open enough to evolve, and specific enough to be grounded.

We will select up to 10 participants, based on the quality of proposals and previous experience, while aiming for a balanced and diverse group.

What you can expect

As a participant to Bridges Film Lab you will gain hands-on experience on using film as a research tool, guided by experienced practitioners in film, architecture, and related fields. You will develop a short essay film engaging with questions around architecture and the built environment, that will be promoted and presented at film festivals and other public events. Along the way, you will explore new approaches to interdisciplinary research and storytelling, develop cross-cultural collaboration skills, and build a network of peers, mentors, and partner institutions.

Program Timeline

• May 5
  Application Deadline
• May 20
  Selection Announced
• June 2, 16, 30
  Research & Dialogue — online sessions (mandatory)
• June – August
  One-to-one online consultations (by appointment)
• September 2–6
  Summer School in Georgia (mandatory, travel not included)
• September 7–30
  One-to-one online consultations (by appointment)
  October 7-11
• Public Premiere at AFFR, Rotterdam (mandatory)