“Of Vineyards and Shoeboxes” at FIPADoc 2020

The film “Of Vineyards and Shoeboxes – In Search of Perfect Concert Hall Acoustics” by Günter Atteln has been selected in the international competition.

Several major concert halls have opened their doors over the past few months, thereby making the public aware of an almost unknown guild: that of the acoustician. Without their precise calculations, architects would be lost, and prestigious buildings such as the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg or the Walt Disney Concert Hall in Los Angeles would be doomed to sink into oblivion.

The documentary film “Of Vineyards and Shoeboxes” accompanies some of the world's most sought-after acousticians, like Yasuhisa Toyota, while they work in Berlin, Moscow or Paris on various ongoing projects, shedding light upon the most important stages on how a concert hall is developed: from the planning stages to the model, from the construction site to the opening ceremony. And it raises the fundamental question: Will it be a “shoebox” or a “vineyard”?

For the first time, the complex vocational profile is presented in an entertaining and comprehensible manner. Through the different, partly opposing philosophies of the acousticians and a skillful parallel montage of the three storylines, a fascinating history of concert hall acoustics is told. A film about those who cross the borders between physics and art, who lead the way into the fascinating world of sound with passion, enthusiasm and a fine sense of humor.

Of Vineyards and Shoeboxes – In Search of Perfect Concert Hall Acoustics
A film by Günter Atteln

Showtimes at FIPADoc Biarritz:
Wednesday, 22 January : Le Colisée (09:30)
Saturday, 25 January : Bellevue - Auditorium (17:30)