SF(a) – Society. Film. Architecture is a transdisciplinary project that uses dystopian cinema as a lens to critically explore architecture, culture, and society. Each edition centres on a cult film and its architectural paradigm, unfolding through workshops, lectures, and exhibitions that bring together students, architects, artists, and researchers.
Frame architecture, one film at a time.
What is SF(a)?
Founded in 2022, SF(a) is a cultural and educational platform that uses dystopian cinema as a lens to question architecture and society. Each edition revolves around a cult film and its associated architectural paradigm, combining theory and practice in a collaborative format. The project fosters creativity, critical thinking, and dialogue across disciplines, engaging students, architects, artists, and researchers in a shared experiment of reimagining the built environment.
Seasons Timeline
Season 1 (2022) – Blade Runner & Postmodernism
The inaugural edition explored how Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner intersects with postmodern architecture, questioning fragmented urban realities and dystopian imaginaries.
Season 2 (2023) – Metropolis & Modernism
Drawing on Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, the second edition reflected on modernism’s utopian promises and their cultural implications through poster design and critical writing.
Season 3 (2024) – A Clockwork Orange & Brutalism
Inspired by Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange, the third edition interrogated brutalist architecture and its role in shaping social control, memory, and critique.
Season 4 (2025) – Blade Runner 2049 & Hypermodernism
Focusing on Denis Villeneuve’s Blade Runner 2049, the fourth edition investigated hypermodernity and dystopian futures through a week of lectures, workshops, and exhibitions.
Season 5 (2026) – High Rise & Late Modernism
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Impact in Numbers
- 4 editions completed
- 370+ participants from architecture, design, literature, and arts
- 200+ works exhibited (posters & film/literary reviews)
- 15+ national & international guest speakers
- 10+ cultural and academic partners
Partners & Support
SF(a) is organised by the Romanian Order of Architects – Iași Branch (OAR Iași) in partnership with the ALT+A Association. Editions 3 and 4 (2024-2025) were funded by OAR through the Architecture Stamp program. The project is supported by a wide cultural and academic network, including:
“G.M. Cantacuzino” Faculty of Architecture (TUIASI) • Faculty of Visual Arts and Design (UNAGE Iași) • FABLAB Iași • National Museum of Romanian Literature (Muzeul “Vasile Pogor”, Iași) • ASAI – Association of Architecture Students in Iași • Atelier Spre • ZEPPELIN Magazine • CIVICA Association • ZBOR Iași by BCR • Colegiul de Artă “Octav Băncilă” Iași • NegruZI • CTP Iași • Cinema Arta Cluj-Napoca
Join us in rethinking architecture through film.
Discover, debate, and imagine – together.
Photo: Dodo Visuals