Paradise Lost: History in the Un-Making (2021)

One building stood as a testament to the promise of Paradise.

• Documentary

When filmmaker Andy Howlett set out with his camera to document the final days of Birmingham's Brutalist Central Library complex, little did he know the rabbit hole he was stumbling into. Decried by the Council as an eyesore, but hailed by Historic England as an exemplar of postwar design, the story of John Madin's concrete colossus and the fight to save it is a curious one. In this psychogeographic detective story, Howlett weaves together archive footage with on-the-ground explorations in an attempt to figure out why we lost Paradise and how it might be regained.

Release date

September 26, 2021

Runtime

1h 24m

Language

English

Director

Andy Howlett

Status

Released