JOY WILL PREVAIL
WRITTEN & DIRECTED BY
Max Korman
STARRING
Griffin Dunne
Ben Rosenfield
Molly Ephraim
Jennifer Beals
Alexis Bledel
Philadelphia, 1971. Legendary architect Louis I. Kahn is at the height of his career, designing monumental structures around the world, while quietly navigating a complex personal life: Having fathered children with three different women – his wife, Esther Kahn, and two longtime partners, including landscape architect Harriet Pattison – each aware of the others.
When a young, idealistic father, Steve Korman, approaches Kahn to design a country home for his family, the architect initially declines. But, as personal and professional tensions mount, he unexpectedly agrees, beginning a three-year collaboration that serves as a creative and spiritual reckoning for both men. It would culminate in the final house that Kahn ever designed, completed shortly before his sudden and mysterious death.
PressEXCLUSIVE: Production has recently wrapped in Philadelphia on Joy Will Prevail, a period drama about the final three years in the life of architect Louis Kahn, and the relationships — both romantic and professional — that inspired his final residential commission.
Few architects have left a mark on the modern world comparable to that of Louis I. Kahn.
Regarded as one of the most influential architects of the 20th century, Kahn designed some of the most celebrated buildings of his era, inspiring generations of architects across Europe, Asia, and North America. Yet Joy Will Prevail, the new feature film written and directed by Max Korman, focuses not on the monumental institutions Kahn designed, but on a deeply personal commission that would become the last house he ever designed.
“La Bola Negra,” “Fjord” and “Wild Horse Nine” were among the films announced in the first wave of programming for the Philadelphia Film Festival, which runs Oct. 15-25.
The films join a lineup that also features “Ink,” Sundance Grand Jury winner “Josephine,” “Elsinore” starring Andrew Scott and “Behemoth!,” directed by Tony Gilroy.
The 35th edition of the festival will also host the world premieres of “Big Phan,” “Gentle by Birth,” “I Don’t Want to Drink Your Blood Anymore” and “Joy Will Prevail” in its Filmadelphia section.
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