Wim Wenders' Zumthor Documentary Trailer Spotlights Hustvedt's Memorial Visit
Wim Wenders' documentary 'From Inside Out: The Architecture of Peter Zumthor' has released its trailer, featuring novelist Siri Hustvedt's first visit to the Steilneset Memorial in Norway. The film, shot in 3D over 14 years, explores Zumthor's works including the LACMA galleries. Hustvedt's encounter with the memorial, built for witch trial victims, becomes a central chapter of the documentary.
The documentary spans Zumthor's career from the 1988 St. Benedict's chapel to the recently completed David Geffen Galleries at LACMA, a commission that took nearly two decades to realize. Wenders deliberately avoids conventional architectural documentation, instead focusing on the people who encounter, inhabit, and build these spaces, allowing the structures to reveal themselves from within.
The Steilneset Memorial sequence features Hustvedt walking the wooden corridor alone, confronting a history she had written about extensively but never physically visited. The memorial honors 91 individuals executed as suspected witches in the 17th century. The film premieres at the Venice Film Festival on September 6, with HanWay Films handling worldwide sales.
This documentary could broaden public appreciation for architecture as an emotional and memorial experience rather than purely visual spectacle. By pairing a literary figure with Zumthor's work, it may attract audiences beyond typical