Opening RIBA's 2023 Film Nights series, Bawa's Garden is a road movie in search of the work of renowned Sri Lankan architect Geoffrey Bawa.
The film follows a protagonist scouring the island for the ‘lost’ garden of Lunuganga. Finding the treasure might be the goal, yet her search is the catalyst for encounters with a series of characters and rarely-visited buildings that reveal the story of Bawa’s life and work. Shot across Sri Lanka, this experimental documentary weaves dreamlike narratives with real life characters intrinsic to the output of this renowned 20th-century architect. This alternative docudrama is tantamount to the eclectic and quietly moving work of Bawa’s buildings and gardens, and the collaborators that influenced his oeuvre.
This event is programmed as part of the 2023 RIBA Film Nights series and the London Festival of Architecture. The film screening is followed by a Q&A with director Clara Kraft Isono.
LFA is a month long celebration of architecture and city-making, taking place every June across London.
