Skin of Glass

A poetic and personal cinematic meditation on displacement, inequality and loss, filmmaker Denise Zmekhol’s documents her late father’s most celebrated work as an architect, a modernist glass skyscraper in the heart of São Paulo affectionately known as the Pele de Vidro (Skin of Glass), which has become occupied by hundreds of homeless families.

This 24-story office tower was a treasure of mid-20th-century architecture that became the focal point for the harsh reality of inequality destroying the city. In the wake of a shocking tragedy that took place during the film’s production, Zmekhol connects with the residents of the Pele de Vidro and is brought face to face with the intimate, human consequences of an exploding population and global housing crisis.

This film is part of the Melbourne Design Week Film Festival, which explores the impact of architecture and design through the moving image and its power to innovate and affect change; while shaping communities, cities and the environment. The Melbourne Design Week Film Festival is curated by Spiro Economopoulos. It is presented as part of the Melbourne Design Week in association with Lido and Classic cinemas.