His buildings represent a modern, democratic Germany, and now a new documentary film is paying cinematic tribute to the architect Sep Ruf. ‘Sep Ruf: Architekt der Moderne‘ (Architect of Modernism) opens in cinemas on 10 July 2025.
Sep Ruf (1908–1982) viewed architecture as both a form and an attitude. Johann Betz’s film sensitively portrays the Munich architect who set new standards with his light-filled, open buildings. Ruf was often ahead of his time – ‘geniuses confront society with things it cannot yet deal with’, as the film puts it. His designs combined elegance with social responsibility and transparency with consideration for the place, the people and the history.
Light, Openness and the Poetry of Modernity
This documentary uses striking images to showcase some of the most important pieces from Ruf’s portfolio, including the Chancellor’s Bungalow in Bonn, the German Pavilion at the 1958 World Exhibition in Brussels (in collaboration with Egon Eiermann), the Neue Maxburg in Munich, and the Academy of Fine Arts in Nuremberg. Ruf’s work encompasses residential buildings, churches, research institutes and administrative centres, and he always sought an architectural poetry beyond hierarchy and monumentality. His large glass façades in particular caused an international sensation.
However, Ruf’s modernist approach was not without its critics. During the post-war period, when Germany was grappling with modernism, his approach was widely considered to be provocative. Rather than building on fame, he developed a personal modernism that sensitively incorporated history without negating it. The film features contemporary witnesses, experts and companions who vividly describe Ruf’s attitude and charisma: he was always friendly, wore a white suit and was always open to dialogue.
The film was produced by Drei Wünsche GmbH in co-production with Bayerischer Rundfunk, German Kral Filmproduktion, and Nominal Film. Filming took the team to Germany and Italy in 2024.
Sep Ruf – Architekt der Moderne
96 minutes | Documentation | Start: 10 July 2025 | Germany 2024
Share on Social Media
