German filmmaker Wim Wenders is set to present “From Inside Out – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor,” a new documentary examining the work and architectural approach of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Peter Zumthor. Running for 114 minutes, the film uses 3D cinematography to document Zumthor’s buildings through the perspectives of visitors, users, inhabitants, and craftspeople. The documentary will have its world premiere in September 2026 as part of the Venice International Film Festival’s Venice Open – Out of Competition program.
The film takes its starting point from Zumthor’s statement, “We all come from houses…,” using the idea of architecture as a framework for everyday life to explore the relationship between buildings and their occupants. Rather than presenting the architect’s work primarily through drawings or conventional architectural documentation, Wenders’ approach focuses on how spaces are encountered and used, allowing the viewer to follow different experiences of Zumthor’s buildings.
Zumthor is known for an architecture that places particular emphasis on material, atmosphere, craftsmanship, and the experience of place. Born in Basel, Switzerland, in 1943, he trained as a cabinetmaker before studying design and architecture. He later worked in historic preservation in the Swiss canton of Graubünden, where he established his practice in Haldenstein in 1979. His relatively small body of built work has nevertheless had a significant influence on contemporary architectural discourse.
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Among Zumthor’s best-known projects is the Therme Vals in Switzerland, completed in 1996. Built from locally quarried quartzite, the thermal baths are organized as a sequence of stone volumes, pools, passages, and openings that frame changing relationships between light, water, material, and landscape. Other notable projects include the Kolumba Museum in Cologne, Germany, which incorporates the remains of a Gothic church damaged during World War II, and the Bruder Klaus Field Chapel in Mechernich-Wachendorf, Germany. Across these projects, Zumthor has developed an approach in which architectural experience is closely connected to material and sensory qualities. Light, sound, texture, temperature, and movement contribute to the perception of space alongside its physical composition. This emphasis on atmosphere and the experience of place was also reflected in the jury citation when Zumthor received the Pritzker Architecture Prize in 2009.
From Inside Out extends this focus from architecture into film. The documentary follows Zumthor’s buildings from within, shifting between the perspectives of those who encounter, inhabit, and construct them. Through this approach, the film considers architecture not only as a physical object but also as an environment experienced over time and through everyday use. Directed and written by Wenders, the film is presented in English, Swiss German, and German. From Inside Out – The Architecture of Peter Zumthor will premiere in September 2026 in Venice, alongside the wider program of the 83rd Venice International Film Festival.
In other recent news related to films and architecture, Studio NEiDA is developing The Falcon Cinema, a community and arts centre in Berekuso, Ghana, commissioned by film curator Jacqueline Nsiah. Currently in the design phase, the project includes screening rooms, an archive, education and communal spaces, and an outdoor cinema, with completion expected in 2027. Meanwhile, “Artisans of the Reiwa Era documents the restoration of Rinshunkaku,” a historic Edo-period villa relocated to Yokohama’s Sankeien Garden, highlighting traditional Japanese woodworking and craftsmanship. “Transnational Narratives: A Documentary Celebrating South Asian Women in Architecture,” supported by the 4th Lilly Reich Grant, follows the experiences of six South Asian women architects working across India, Pakistan, and the United Kingdom.
