The story of Antoni Gaudí's unfinished masterpiece.

We normally see a cathedral or a church in its finished form, a witness of days long gone by. By contrast, the construction of the Sagrada Familia is anything but complete. The edifice is still growing and evolving today as it has done for the past 125 years. Who was the man who designed this cathedral? What was his driving force? Who were his successors? Who are the people, i.e. the workers, craftsmen, artists and architects, who continue working on the Sagrada Familia and who want to complete it? What is their driving force?

With the help of these people who are building the “cathedral” today, perhaps the last of its kind, this film investigates the motives that incite us humans to design and build such edifices. The film is about their knowledge and experience, about the symbolism and the underlying cultural roots, and also about the creative act from intention to realization. Participants from a wide variety of backgrounds give insight into their work, describing their knowledge and experience. For example Etsuro Sotoo, the Japanese sculptor, a former Buddhist who converted to Catholicism, who has been working in the Sagrada Familia for more than 30 years; Josep Subirachs, the highly controversial designer of the Passion façade, who calls himself an agnostic; Jordi Bonet, the chief architect, who is fighting on every possible front to get the Sagrada Familia completed, as well as artisans and workers from various fields, such as Jaume Torreguitart, who describes the anonymous pride of all those workers who know that their name will never appear in the books about the Sagrada Familia.

Inner and outer images interweave. In the hustle and bustle of this metropolis, the film approaches this mysterious cathedral persona, investigating the structural developments of the Sagrada Familia and taking the time for breaks in order to look, hear, perceive, contemplate and reflect. Anna Huber, a reputed dancer from Switzerland, appears here and there during this discovery trip. Jordi Savall, the wold-famous Catalan musician, conducts Johann Sebastian Bach's Mass in B Minor, which has occasionally been called “the cathedral of music,” reflecting on the ways of interpreting a work of art, be it based on a score or on an architectural plan.

Inspired by Gaudí’s vision, the film ultimately explores the fundamentally human search for the meaning of our existence, our origin and our goal, as well as the question of our human creativity and what we want to use it for.

Showtimes

On Tuesday, Feb 11 at 9:20 pm.

On Wednesday, Feb 12 at 7:10 pm.

On Thursday, Feb 13 at 4:30 pm.

Prices: 10$ for non-members, 7$ for ByTowne members (with card), 7$ for seniors (age 65 and over, with I.D.), 7$ for children and youth (age 17 and under, with I.D.)

Venue

Bytowne Cinema, 325 Rideau Street, Ottawa, ON

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Phone

613-789-3456

More information

Venue's website