Skin of Glass follows director Denise Zmekhol’s journey after discovering that her late father’s most celebrated work as an architect, a modernist glass skyscraper in the heart of São Paulo affectionately known as the Pele de Vidro (“Skin of Glass”), has become occupied by hundreds of homeless families.

The film delicately interweaves the personal and political in a poetic and cinematic meditation on displacement, inequality, and loss. In the wake of a shocking tragedy that took place during the film’s production, Zmekhol connects with the residents of the Pele de Vidro and is brought face to face with the intimate, human consequences of an exploding population and global housing crisis. 

Skin of Glass is a technically brilliant film that enchants with its intimate storytelling, captivating visuals and emotive soundtrack. It won Best Feature Documentary at the Barcelona International Architecture Film Festival, and a finalist at the Venice Architecture Film Festival where it won an Audience Award.

Director: Denise Zmekhol
Year: 2023
Country: Brazil
Duration: 89mins

Awards:
¡Viva el Cine! Audience Favorite Award | MVFF | Mill Valley Film Festival | Best Feature Documentary BARQ | International Architecture Film Festival Barcelona Best Feature Award MDFF | Milano Design Film Festival | Venice Architecture Film Festival | Finalist – 2nd Place

Curated in association with the Revelation Perth International Film Festival

The Fremantle Design Film Festival returns with six films that offer a thought-provoking exploration into the deep connection between design, society and culture.

Featuring documentaries expertly curated by screen practitioner Richard Sowada, the finely calibrated program unites around the Fremantle Design Week theme of transition and captures the people, places and ideas that shape our world through design.

Three films focus on the legacy of Modernism, charting the rise and fall of the most influential design movement of the last century and traversing time across India, the UK and the USA.

The pressing global issues of homelessness and displacement are explored in two deeply personal films, and we meet Maija Isola, the Danish designer behind Marrimekko’s most enduring patterns.

FDW Film Festival presented by: