After years in the making, a new feature-length documentary film entitled “Didi Contractor: Marrying the Earth to the Building” premiered at the 2016 Dharamshala International Film Festival (DIFF) in India.

Directed by Steffi Giaracuni of Switzerland, the film explores the life and work of acclaimed earthen architect (and artist and designer) Didi Contractor, whom some of our readers will know as the architect of Dharmalaya Institute‘s main building and as co-founder and Professor Emeritus of our Internship in Vernacular Eco-Architecture.

The film was shot on location in the Indian Himalayan state of Himachal Pradesh, including several days at Dharmalaya Institute. Interviews with Earthville founder Mark Moore and several interns and other members of the Dharmalaya Institute’s learning community are featured in the film.

Didi Contractor herself was present for the well-received premier, along with luminaries both from the film world and from Didi’s world. She described the film as “poetic,” “beautifully shot,” and “impeccably edited.”

The film will continue to be shown at film festivals into next year, including in Europe. You can learn more about the film at its official website.