Cvartal

Grand plans, monumental structures, noble materials, local inspirations, ideas woven into form. The doctrine of socialist realism, though short-lived, left behind many projects in the Eastern Bloc countries that still evoke ambivalent feelings today. In Dan Radu Mihai's film, we visit ten housing developments in Bucharest. None of them have been fully realized, but they still fulfill many of their intended functions, such as providing modern shelter and good access to services, especially social and cultural ones.

Together with the director's interviewees, including ordinary residents, architects, architectural historians, and anthropologists, we take a look at courtyards, playgrounds, and apartments. We discover not only propaganda documents enthusiastically describing the success of each of the “Russian blocks,” but also facts that have been hidden for years: who ultimately lived in the new buildings, why they were not workers, and how their construction really took place.

The multitude of stories presented in this film and the combination of specialist and practical perspectives allow us to see the lesser-known architectural and urban side of Bucharest, where, even during a cruel regime, it was possible to live closely together and create a community between buildings.

The screening is organized in cooperation with the Romanian Cultural Institute in Poland.