Maurice & I

In the 1960s and 1970s, Christchurch, New Zealand's second largest city, underwent a radical transformation. Previously, with its classical tenement buildings and neo-Gothic churches, it did not stand out from other outposts of the former British Empire. Then suddenly they appeared: Miles Warren and Maurice Mahoney, classmates from architecture school. They differed in almost everything – from their origins to their temperaments – but they shared a vision of what modern New Zealand architecture could look like. Their experimental, bold, and often controversial brutalist designs redefined the landscape and identity of Christchurch.

In 2011, an earthquake struck the city, claiming the lives of 185 people and destroying thousands of buildings, including almost all of Warren and Mahoney's work. Christchurch City Hall, their masterpiece, architecturally sophisticated and acoustically outstanding, admired not only by designers but also by music lovers from around the world, a center for the performing arts, was also severely damaged. The residents of Christchurch, who for years listened to symphonies and punk rock here, came to dances and received their school diplomas, had long since come to regard the austere building as “theirs.” This meant that when plans to demolish the damaged building were announced, an unusual coalition was formed.

Christchurch filmmakers Rick Harvie and Jane Mahoney (privately the daughter of the titular Maurice) follow with their camera the several-year struggle to save the iconic building, in which experts and users of the facility stand shoulder to shoulder. Thanks to recorded conversations with authorities, designers, and specialists in the field of design, we learn about the arguments that, despite the seemingly doomed situation, determine the preservation and renovation of the complex. It is an uplifting story about the power of well-designed architecture and the power that lies dormant in social uprisings.

The screening received honorary patronage from Paul Ballantyne, New Zealand Ambassador to Poland.

The screening is organized in cooperation with the National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning.