Home 9 AEC 9 FORT: LA Debuts Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage

FORT: LA Debuts Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage

by | Jun 17, 2025

A 12-part documentary series about seven architects who defined the freewheeling West Coast aesthetic
1980 Pic by Ave Pildas (L to R: Eric Owen Moss, Robert Mangurian, Frederick Fisher, Coy Howard, Craig Hodgetts, Thom Mayne, and Frank Gehry)

LOS ANGELES, CA, June 17, 2025 – Friends of Residential Treasures: Los Angeles (FORT: LA) has announced the launch of “Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage”, an 12-episode documentary series. Guided by architectural journalist Frances Anderton, the series brings together architects who were pivotal in shaping Los Angeles’s architectural landscape.

Launching on July 1st, “Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage” explores the evolution of Los Angeles architecture through roundtable discussions and interviews. The series is inspired by the 1980 photograph taken by portrait photographer Ave Pildas at Venice beach featuring architects Frederick Fisher, Robert Mangurian, Eric Owen Moss, Coy Howard, Craig Hodgetts, Thom Mayne, and Frank Gehry. Forty-five years later, the documentary reunites four of the architects for a candid conversation about a time when Venice Beach’s low rents and bohemian vibe fomented artistic creativity. The group reflects on their shared history, their architectural trajectories and the changes that have occurred since that seminal image was taken.

“The film captures a transitional period in the cultural history of Los Angeles, as well as the camaraderie, creativity, and passion of this iconic group,” says Russell Brown, director and producer for the series and FORT: LA founder and board chair. Shot in a conversational, relaxed format, “Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage” offers an insightful look into each architect’s perspective, culminating in a poignant re-staging of the original 1980 photograph on Venice Beach with photographer Ave Pildas.

2024 Pic by Ave Pildas: (L to R: Eric Owen Moss, Frederick Fisher, Thom Mayne, Craig Hodgetts)

Produced by FORT: LA and hosted by Frances Anderton, “Rebel Architects: From Venice to the World Stage” premieres July 1st on FortLA.org, with new episodes releasing monthly thereafter. Each episode will be 6-15 minutes long. Special, related programming will take place during the LA Design Festival and FORT: LA’s popular Architecture Uncorked series.

Additionally, FORT: LA’s July Trail, “The Rebel Architects of 1980: From Venice to the World Stage”, takes its inspiration from the documentary series and includes a 90-page, self-guided “exteriors only” tour featuring early projects by Frank Gehry, Eric Owen Moss, Thom Mayne, Frederick Fisher, and others. The trail guides visitors to six sites, encouraging exploration of the physical neighborhood while celebrating the spirit of the iconic architects.

Complete List of Episodes

Episode 1: Capturing a Moment in LA Architecture

Episode 2: Art and Rebellion in Venice in the ’70s and ‘80s

Episode 3: What the Photo Means Today

Episode 4: The Media’s Role in LA Architecture

Episode 5: Frank Gehry Goes His Own Way

Episode 6: The Women in the Picture

Episode 7: Teaching The Next Generation of Architects

Episode 8: Fifty Years Since the Photo

Episode 9: Craig Hodgetts on the Architects Around Him

Episode 10: LA and the Architecture World Today

Episode 11: The Many Corners of Coy Howard, Part 1: Venice, The Photograph, and the Past

Episode 12: The Many Corners of Coy Howard, Part 2: Vision, Language, and the Unfolding of Ideas

About FORT: LA

Friends Of Residential Treasures: LA (FORT: LA) is an award-winning nonprofit dedicated to energizing, educating and connecting Angelenos through the dynamic stories of our homes, neighborhoods, and architecture. The organization has developed four interlocking programs in pursuit of its mission: An online mapping system for self-guided tours of the exteriors of architecturally significant homes developed by experts in the field (FORT Trails); a fellowship to foster new knowledge (FORT Fellowship); a series of virtual experiences to provide interior access and understanding (FORT Frames); and an ongoing series of live and virtual educational events (FORT Gatherings). FORT: LA is a recipient of an LA Conservancy Preservation award, a California Preservation Foundation Design award, and will be featured in the U.S. Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennale. FORT: LA’s newsletter announcing its free monthly content reaches over 10,000 subscribers.

About Frances Anderton

Frances Anderton covers Los Angeles design and architecture in print, broadcast media and public events. She is the author of the award-winning book Common Ground: Multifamily Housing in Los Angeles, and co-author of Awesome and Affordable: Great Housing Now, a multimedia project produced by Friends of Residential Treasures: Los Angeles (FORT: LA). Anderton, FORT: LA, and Wyota Workshop were selected to create an installation for the US Pavilion at the 2025 Venice Architecture Biennial, illustrating the theme PORCH: An Architecture of Generosity. Anderton previously produced KCRW’s current affairs show Which Way, LA? and To The Point, and for many years hosted DnA: Design and Architecture; she now writes a regular DnA newsletter for KCRW. Honors include the Esther McCoy Award, from the USC Architectural Guild, for her work educating the public about architecture and urbanism. She is a recipient of a 2025 Santa Monica Artist Fellowship.

About Russell Brown

Filmmaker Russell Brown’s body of work includes five narrative features, two full-length documentaries, and a number of well-regarded narrative and documentary shorts. His feature films have opened theatrically in select cities to favorable reviews after playing at more than 300 festivals around the world. Brown’s work has garnered national and international awards for directing, writing, acting, and editing. His diverse filmography includes Loren & Rose, Search Engines, The Blue Tooth Virgin, Annie and the Gypsy, Karen Black: On Acting, Conversation with a Cigarette, Mama Laura’s Boys, The 44 Scarves of Liza Minnelli, Above the Arroyo: A Dream of the Stairs of Los Angeles, Reality USA, and The Kaleidoscope Guy at the Market. Russell is a member of the Writer’s Guild of America and is a Film Independent Producing Fellow. His films are held as part of the collection at the UCLA Film and Television archive. Brown made Angeleno magazine’s June 2025 “The Power List,” which celebrates beacons of the LGBTQ+ community.