AT THE GARDEN’S PACE 

Director: Juan Benavides
Duration: 68 mins
Year: 2024
Subtitles
Documentary

In 2018, a competition was held to design a new multi-functional pavilion within the botanical gardens of Hilversum, Netherlands. The winning project was awarded to Rotterdam-based architect Enzo Valerio who, together with his team, began construction in February 2023. At the Garden’s Pace is an observational documentary film that immerses the viewer in the year-long process of building this pavilion.

Filmed across 15 site visits over four seasons, the documentary captures the essence of the garden through the lens of a visitor, offering a continuous, uninterrupted visual journey.

The film employs slow cinema techniques—long takes, wide angles, static frames, and original score—to create a meditative experience. The footage, presented as a seamless sequence across all visits, allows viewers to feel as if they are taking a day-long walk through the garden, observing the construction in harmony with the unhurried rhythms of nature.