Do we have a release date for A24's Architecton movie? Here's everything we know about the US release date

Architecton, the newest documentary from filmmaker Victor Kossakovsky, finally has a US release date. The film is set to arrive in over 100 theaters on August 1, 2025, through A24’s distribution. But don’t expect a typical documentary. This is a work that moves slowly, deliberately, asking questions rather than answering them, and creating space for the viewer to reflect in ways most films don’t.

If there’s one thing A24 has made clear over the years, it’s this: they’re not interested in playing it safe. And Architecton fits right in. More meditation than exposition, the film invites audiences into a visual and philosophical journey that lingers long after the screen goes dark.

Architecton’s poetic meditation on space, time, and memory

At its core, the movie explores our relationship with the materials we use to shape the world, specifically, stone and concrete. But it doesn’t do this through interviews, data, or historical timelines. Instead, it lets the images speak. It allows silence to stretch. And in doing so, it gradually builds a powerful reflection on time, memory, destruction, and permanence.

Kossakovsky takes us from the ancient ruins of Baalbek to the modern wreckage of buildings destroyed by war and neglect in places like Ukraine and Turkey. These haunting visuals are interwoven with glimpses of Italian architect Michele De Lucchi, seen carefully building a ring of stones in his garden, a gesture that feels part ritual, part protest, and entirely poetic.

The documentary doesn’t try to tell you what to feel. But Architecton gives you space to feel something, even if you don’t know exactly what.

The man behind it: Victor Kossakovsky

Victor Kossakovsky isn’t new to pushing cinematic boundaries. In Gunda, he captured a pig’s daily life without voiceover, music, or context. In Aquarela, he explored the elemental force of water through sound and image alone. What connects all his work is a refusal to explain and a deep belief that beauty and meaning emerge when we stop trying to control the narrative.

In Architecton, he applies this same lens to architecture. What we build, what we destroy, and what we value enough to preserve all say something about who we are, whether we realize it or not.

A24 and its partnership with Architecton

There’s a reason A24 has become a trusted name for viewers looking for something different. From Moonlight to The Lighthouse to Everything Everywhere All at Once, the studio has consistently championed bold, often unconventional films that refuse to fit neatly into boxes.

Their decision to back the movie highlights that ethos once again. It’s not a blockbuster. It’s not loud. But it is meaningful, a project that dares to engage viewers on their own terms, without spoon-feeding or spectacle.

Festivals, critics, and the quiet impact of Architecton

The film made its world premiere at the 2024 Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear and Best Documentary. It later traveled to other major festivals, including CPH:DOX, the BFI London Film Festival, and AFI Fest, sparking conversations everywhere it screened.

Critics have described the film as immersive, poetic, and occasionally demanding. Some praised its visual grandeur and sound design, calling it a meditative masterpiece. Others admitted the pacing could feel repetitive or obscure. But whether it mesmerized or challenged, the film left a mark, and that’s precisely what great cinema does.

Why Architecton matters

More than anything, the film is a question. Why do we build monuments to last for centuries in one era and disposable towers in another? Why does destruction come so easily, while preservation demands so much effort?

Rather than deliver a thesis, the movie offers a canvas. It lays out the stones, the ruins, and the voices of time and lets us draw our own lines between them. The result is not just a film about architecture but a film about intention. About legacy. About the quiet decisions that shape entire civilizations.

Final thoughts on Architecton

With its theatrical release approaching, Architecton feels like more than a movie. It’s an invitation to reflect, to breathe, to look again at the structures around us. Whether ancient or modern, broken or intact, each building holds a story. And this documentary listens.

Whether you’re a fan of experimental film, slow cinema, or visual poetry, the film is the kind of work that rewards patience. It may not entertain in the traditional sense, but it offers something deeper: a moment of stillness in a world that rarely stops.