The work of Francis Kéré is at the forefront of a paradigm shift within design. The architect is globally renowned for using his craft to improve social, economic, and political environments in his native Burkina Faso and numerous other countries. Globally, people are turning to designers to address intractable problems from poverty to climate change. Kéré seeks to do just this, using a mix of low-tech and high design and working in partnership with the communities for whom he builds. This film documents several projects Kéré has built or begun in the past 15 years, and shows the architect in action between Burkina Faso and Germany, where he is attempting to build a community performance centre for Syrian refugees.
About the director
Daniel Schwartz (1987, Nairobi) is a filmmaker, photographer, and multimedia artist based in Zürich. He has a degree in urban studies and photography and works at the Urban-Think Tank Chair of Architecture and Urban Design at ETH Zürich. His work focuses primarily on urban transformation from a social, spatial, and political perspective. Schwartz’s photography, writing and films have been featured by some of the most prestigous newspapers and festivals.
His films in previous festival editions: Gran Horizonte – Around the Day in 80 Worlds, Mumbai – Maximum City Under Pressure, Torre David