The First Siza is a documentary about the Four Houses, Álvaro Siza’s first built work, designed while he was still a student, and the impact of architecture on people’s lives.

DIRECTED BY

Sara Nunes

ORIGINAL IDEA

João Rapagão and Sara Nunes

October 6 — Premieres in Portugal

Centred around the reunion — 60 years later — between the architect and Fernando Neto, his first client and the owner of one of the houses in Matosinhos, the film reveals how this project became a turning point in Siza’s career. Featuring interviews with Siza, the houses’ residents, and critic Francesco Dal Co, as well as current and archival footage, the narrative explores how architecture and the lives of its inhabitants become deeply intertwined over time.

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Next screenings

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“The film directed by Sara Nunes captures with quality and rigor the essence of this long story. A film full of freshness and authenticity.”

ÁLVARO SIZA

Photograph by architect António Menéres, courtesy of the author, Álvaro Siza's office in the Imperial Building, Porto, 1957

Another documentary about Siza?

The idea for the documentary was born on April 17, 2019, when director Sara Nunes accepted architect João Rapagão’s invitation to film the reunion. “I had never thought of making a documentary about Siza,” she admits.

The reunion between Siza and Fernando Neto reveals the collaborative and participatory nature of the project, which extended from the design phase all the way through to construction. The film explores the tensions within this process — from the dilemma of the staircase, which the carpenters feared might be unsafe, to the conflict over the balcony, rejected by Siza but defended by the family. These negotiations, challenges, and adaptations shaped a project with a singular identity, turning it into a true laboratory of formal and constructive experimentation.
This moment marks the beginning of Álvaro Siza’s career and already anticipates elements of his architectural language. “It was a very rich experience for my development!” he recalls.
Reflecting on how he was perceived at the time, he says: “Back then, even at 21, I had more power than I do today!” And he concludes: “I know there are many exhibitions, many conferences, lots of articles in the newspapers (...) but the truth is that what we see is not indifference — it’s contempt for architecture and for architects!”
The First Siza is not just a look into the past, but a reflection on the power of architecture as a social act. The film reveals how houses become living witnesses to the stories of those who inhabit them. Every element of the house — from the stairs to the gate — holds a personal story: a birth, a romance, a moment of play, a concert. “Architecture is not just walls and ceilings, but spaces that transform and define life experiences,” says director Sara Nunes.
Sara Nunes (director of the documentary)

"The First Siza is not just a look into the past, but a reflection on the power of architecture as a social act.”

At a time when the housing crisis dominates public debate, The First Siza invites us to rethink the role of architecture in our lives: "More than building houses, what matters is thinking about the lives built within them. What kind of cities — and countries — do we want to build? Because everything begins at home."

REALIZADORA SARA NUNES

Making of

JOÃO RAPAGÃO

"This is not just another documentary about the life or work of Álvaro Siza. Rather, it is the record of the lives of four generations, shaped and inspired by the architecture of one of four houses conceived and designed by Álvaro Siza over six decades.

It is, therefore, a documentary about people and life, framed and nourished daily by architecture.Fernando Távora once declared that architecture is life. He added that life is beautiful. This concept could very well serve as an alternative title for this documentary."

Screenings

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24 April 2025

MUSEU SERRALVES, Porto, Portugal
Private Screening

16 August 2025

CINEMA URBANA, Brasília, Shangai
Film Festival

31 August 2025

POWERSTATION ART, Shanghai, China

Private Screening

1 October 2025

FUNDAÇÃO CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN, Lisboa, Portugal
Premiere

2 October 2025

CAIXA FORUM +, Debuts on the streaming platform in Portugal and Spain

We are preparing the tour for O Primeiro Siza and looking for local partners who would like to host a special screening of the film in their city or region, starting in October 2025. If you would like to be part of this tour and bring the documentary—and its story about the impact of architecture on people's lives—to your community, click the button below and start a conversation with us.

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Let's talk

“It is a documentary about architecture, yes, but it is a very interesting documentary about the importance of architecture in the conception of living.”

This film focuses more on the relationship of a family who lived in these houses. It is an architectural documentary, yes, but it is also a very interesting documentary about the importance of architecture in the conception of living. I highly recommend it to all viewers who have the opportunity to watch this film directed by Sara Nunes with the collaboration of architect João Rapagão. I had the opportunity to see this film at Serralves and was completely captivated by it.”

JOEL CLETO

What they say about the film

“This film should be mandatory viewing for everyone who studies architecture, everyone who practices it, and everyone who one day plans to entrust an architect with the place where their story will unfold.”

RUIN DINIS, Spaceworkers
“The First Siza” is a film that, rather than presenting a work of architecture in its most intricate and technical details, invites us to explore the noblest and most inspiring dimension of the discipline: the relationship between the design of space and its inhabitants, (...), between the architect as master and life as theme.

PEDRO BAGANHA, Vereador do Urbanismo e Habitação - Câmara Municipal do Porto
“A documentary that masterfully pays homage to time, an ode to patience and affection—from Siza, who sixty years later returns to his first work and plans minor repairs; from Sara and João, who worked unhurriedly for a decade to produce this film.”

SAMUEL GONÇALVES, Summary
“It was a breath of fresh air, full of simple emotions. I was really glad I went to see it.”

FRANCISCO VIEIRA DE CAMPOS, Menos é Mais
“I loved it! I thought the documentary struck a great balance between architecture and life, humor and seriousness!”

MARIA SOUTO DE MOURA, fr-ia
“Architects and non-architects alike feel a mixture of admiration and envy for the ingenuity of a young architect who knew how to forge his own path in dialogue with masters, craftsmen, and clients, and for a family that, almost without realizing it, built a relationship of respect and value with the discipline. Everything we aspire to in our practice. Something truly moving.”

LUÍS TAVARES PEREIRA, Ainda Arquitectura
“More than just showing facades or drawings, the documentary gives voice to the inhabitants, whose stories are intertwined with the spaces they inhabit. Here, architecture is not just form—it is a living backdrop that shapes memories, routines, and affections. With delicacy, humor, and attentive listening, the film celebrates Siza's ability to create beauty where life happens.”

MARTA BRANDÃO, MIMA Housing
"Anyone who comes to the film unprepared, or expecting to enjoy a documentary filled with disciplinary information, will be surprised by something else, something much more special. Truly, this film is a tribute to architecture, to Siza, to Matosinhos, and to the humility of those who live in a house, like any one of us. (...) Without imagining how happy one can be simply by living in a good house."

AVELINO OLIVEIRA, Presidente da Ordem dos Arquitectos
“Very good! I really like it when our senses, such as tears or smiles, are effortlessly elicited.”

FERNANDO COELHO, FCC Arquitectura
"The First Siza is a delightful film to watch—just the right amount of fun, yet full of subtlety. It is moving to see Álvaro Siza reunite with his first client, in a moment full of memories and complicity, revealing how architecture is also built on emotional bonds. An essential film for anyone interested in architecture, memory — and the silent stories that places have to tell."

JOANNA HELM, Arquitecta e Especialista em Comunicação

News

“Um filme imperdível”

Read news

Documentário sobre Álvaro Siza apresenta visão íntima e pessoal do arquiteto”

Read news

Associated Producer

Support

Official Hotel

Institutional Partner

The First Siza is a documentary about the Four Houses, Álvaro Siza’s first built work, designed while he was still a student, and the impact of architecture on people’s lives.

“The film directed by Sara Nunes captures with quality and rigor the essence of this long story. A film full of freshness and authenticity.”

Another documentary about Siza?

The idea for the documentary was born on April 17, 2019, when director Sara Nunes accepted architect João Rapagão’s invitation to film the reunion. “I had never thought of making a documentary about Siza,” she admits.

"The First Siza is not just a look into the past, but a reflection on the power of architecture as a social act.”

"This is not just another documentary about the life or work of Álvaro Siza. Rather, it is the record of the lives of four generations, shaped and inspired by the architecture of one of four houses conceived and designed by Álvaro Siza over six decades.

Would you like to screen the film?

“It is a documentary about architecture, yes, but it is a very interesting documentary about the importance of architecture in the conception of living.”

“This film should be mandatory viewing for everyone who studies architecture, everyone who practices it, and everyone who one day plans to entrust an architect with the place where their story will unfold.”

“A documentary that masterfully pays homage to time, an ode to patience and affection—from Siza, who sixty years later returns to his first work and plans minor repairs; from Sara and João, who worked unhurriedly for a decade to produce this film.”

“It was a breath of fresh air, full of simple emotions. I was really glad I went to see it.”

“I loved it! I thought the documentary struck a great balance between architecture and life, humor and seriousness!”

“Very good! I really like it when our senses, such as tears or smiles, are effortlessly elicited.”

“Um filme imperdível”

Documentário sobre Álvaro Siza apresenta visão íntima e pessoal do arquiteto”

Woodstories

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