Imagine being asked by a pre-Nobel Prize-winning Albert Einstein to design an observatory as one of your first projects. That’s just what happened to German-Jewish architect Erich Mendelsohn in this artistically stunning documentary by Duki Dror. World renowned architect Stanley Tigerman introduced the film and spoke afterwards at a very special evening at Spertus Institute, Oct. 24. A dessert reception followed.

Nov. 1 screening hosted by Chiasso.

About Incessant Visions

Documentary, 2011
In Hebrew, English and German with English subtitles.
71 min.
Director: Duki Dror

Honorable Mention, Jerusalem International Film Festival
Opening Night Film, Berlin Jewish Film Festival
Official selection, Amsterdam, Vancouver, St. Louis, New York and San Francisco Jewish Film Festivals

He drew sketches on tiny pieces of paper and sent them, from the trenches of WWI, to a young cellist, who was waiting for him in Berlin. She thought he was a genius, and after the war, introduced him to Einstein and helped him become the busiest architect in Germany. When she planned to leave him for Leftist poet Ernst Toller, he built a perfect house for her, entirely planned by him–from the lake view living room, to the silverware and her evening gowns. When the Nazis came to power, they escaped the house and Germany forever, wandering between England, Israel, and the United States. Through letters exchanged with his wife Louise, the film explores Mendelsohn’s rise as an architectural visionary, his friendship with Frank Lloyd Wright, and the jagged trajectory of his career.