Immersive Films On Highrise Living Explore Its 2,500 Year History

A world with a recent penchant for urban living wouldn’t be possible without the highrise. This towering structure is as much a practical way to house the most people per square foot as it is a symbolic testament to our sky-high ambitions. In collaboration with the New York Times, National Film Board of Canada’s ongoing and thrilling project HIGHRISE has produced a documentary series that investigates our 2,500-year love affair with living vertically.

The Times’ editorial department’s documentary offshoot, Op-Docs, along with Katerina Cizek, documentary filmmaker and HIGHRISE director, will debut “A Short History of the Highrise,” on Monday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m. (EST) at the Film Society of Lincoln Center. The showing will take place as part of the Film Society at Lincoln Center’s New York Film Festival Convergence program, which will be followed by its premier online in the month of October. The online version will be viewable on NYTimes.com.

Consisting of four films (“Mud,” “Concrete,” “Glass,” and “Home”), the project is intended to be an immersive experience that is optimized for tablet, computer, and smartphone use. The first three consist of never-before-seen photos from the NY Times’ extensive visual archives while the latter is made up of public-submitted imagery. All four are bolstered by interactive elements such as top-grade animation, responsive videos, and game play functionality that will offer audiences a more proactive viewing experience.

A trailer of “A Short History of the Highrise” is available at the New York Times’ HIGHRISE website.