The Architecture Film Festival Rotterdam (AFFR), the largest film festival about the city and architecture, celebrates its 25th anniversary in 2025. During this edition, the AFFR Awards for the most acclaimed films were presented for the first time. We had the privilege of designing these awards, which will be presented annually from now on.
Many awards in the film world are gold-colored figurines of people or animals that refer to the festival cities. As an ode to Rotterdam, we created the AFFR awards from river clay from the Nieuwe Maas. After a journey of 1,000 kilometers, the river approaches the sea here. The speed of the river water decreases, and particles of clay, sand, organic material, and pollution carried along the way sink to the bottom. Over thousands of years, this has resulted in a resilient soil layer tens of meters thick. This forms the foundation of the city of Rotterdam, many buildings of which are also constructed using river clay. The movement of the silt is still clearly visible in the awards.
Many awards in the film world are gold-colored figurines of people or animals that refer to the festival cities. As an ode to Rotterdam, we created the AFFR awards from river clay from the Nieuwe Maas. After a journey of 1,000 kilometers, the river approaches the sea here. The speed of the river water decreases, and particles of clay, sand, organic material, and pollution carried along the way sink to the bottom. Over thousands of years, this has resulted in a resilient soil layer tens of meters thick. This forms the foundation of the city of Rotterdam, many buildings of which are also constructed using river clay. The movement of the silt is still clearly visible in the awards.
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River clay
We wanted to create an award from river clay, so that touching it feels like touching Rotterdam itself. This award expresses a slow movement, condensed into a cube. It was not designed by us; we gave the material the space to shape itself.
The AFFR award is raw and unpolished. You see traces of dirt and sometimes even pollution. It is not a slick award, and yet in some ways, it is. It is simultaneously worthless and of great significance: a tangible representation of a geological process that has shaped the DNA of this place.
The AFFR award is raw and unpolished. You see traces of dirt and sometimes even pollution. It is not a slick award, and yet in some ways, it is. It is simultaneously worthless and of great significance: a tangible representation of a geological process that has shaped the DNA of this place.
We have created ten unique awards for the coming five years. They are all different, yet unmistakably connected, because they originate from the same source. To the winners: if you do not like this award, if you want to make a statement, or find yourself in an existential crisis, feel free to return it to the river.
"With the award, you hold a piece of Rotterdam in your hand."
