Emergency Shelter • Housing Crisis • Gentrification • Urban Development & Planning • Transportable Homes & Innovative housing • Engineering & Design • Community Land Trusts • Social Justice & Human Rights
Date of Completion: 2024 | Run Time: 59 minutes | Language: English with English, Spanish, and German Subtitles | Captions: Yes | Director/Producer: Rory Ryder | Cinematographer: Samuel Grasberger | Editors: Samuel Grasberger & Rory Ryder | Composer: Marcos Steinel
In a city defined by its rich history and ongoing housing challenges, filmmaker Rory Ryder embarks on a journey that takes an unexpected turn. While investigating Berlin’s deepening housing crisis and the government’s inadequate responses, Rory stumbles upon a mysterious, forgotten building from the past: the Silverfish. Once a vital part of the post-war architectural landscape, the Silverfish had faded from memory—until now. As Rory explores further into its history, he begins to see the building not just as a relic of the past but as a potential revolutionary solution to many of today’s global problems.
LOST SILVERFISH OF BERLIN is the first film to tell the untold story of these once-prominent structures, constructed in East Germany after World War II to meet the need for emergency housing and other building needs. The film uncovers their historical significance while envisioning their potential to address contemporary housing challenges. Through a compelling blend of interviews with urban planners, architects, and historians, Rory also meets people who remember the Silverfish buildings and others who still feel a strong connection to them today. Featuring exclusive footage and a rare interview with the Silverfish’s inventor, whom Rory tracked down before his passing, viewers are taken on an incredible journey that reimagines this forgotten building as a sustainable, dignified solution that could also help bring communities together.
From the rise of tiny homes and mobile living to emergency shelters in disaster zones, the Silverfish concept bridges modern-day needs. In the film Rory proposes a bold new vision, one that could offer shelter, community, and hope to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. The film not only shines a light on Berlin’s housing struggles but also offers a global perspective on how this forgotten structure, lost to history, might hold the key to solving some of the most pressing challenges of our times.
What is The Silverfish Project?
The Silverfish Project is a groundbreaking educational initiative calling on visionary universities to lead in the rapidly growing field of mobile architecture.
Learn more at: https://silverfishproject.co.uk/
How can The Lost Silverfish of Berlin support your students?
“Designed for undergraduates, postgraduates, and international learners across architecture, engineering, urban planning, digital media, and more, this initiative can give your institution the chance to develop a new module to teach mobile architecture and stand out.” - Rory Ryder, Director & Producer
AWARDS
Best Human Rights Film | Berlin Kiez Film Festival
Best Human Rights Film | Better World Festival
Best Documentary | Arctic Film Festival
FILM FESTIVALS
Lisbon Indie Film Festival
BARCIFF Barcelona Film Festival
Galway Film Fleadh
Director & Producer of LOST SILVERFISH OF BERLIN
Rory Ryder is a British designer, filmmaker, and educator who through design enjoys solving real-world problems and meeting human needs. Born in Manchester in 1968, Rory's multidisciplinary career has spanned storytelling, art, design, technology, education, and film all driven by his deep curiosity about how we live, and how we might live better.In 2016, Rory started filming LOST SILVERFISH OF BERLIN, a multi-award-winning documentary filmed over eight years, uncovering forgotten mobile architecture from East Germany between the 1950s and 1980s. The film became the foundation for Silverfish Project an innovative educational project that empowers students to challenge conventional thinking, act with purpose, and design not just as architects or engineers, but as real problem-solvers.
Now collaborating with universities across the UK and beyond, Silverfish Project invites students to imagine and prototype modular, sustainable housing that responds to today's urgent global challenges. Designed to adapt within each institution's framework, the project encourages hands-on learning and prepares architecture and engineering students from theory to practice developing critical thinkers who rise to the challenge of designing real-world solutions.
Expertise
My expertise lies in design, architecture, and storytelling, with over 25 years of experience using creative practice to address real-world challenges. As the director of LOST SILVERFISH OF BERLIN and founder of the Silverfish Project, I’ve spent nearly a decade researching forgotten GDR mobile housing and exploring how it can inform sustainable, human-centered design today. I offer a unique perspective that blends historical insight with future-focused thinking. Students and audiences will gain a deeper understanding of how architecture intersects with politics, community, and activism and how they, too, can become change makers through design.
Speaking History
Over the past 10 years, I’ve spoken with heads of departments, government officials, and leaders of major organizations, sharing insights at national and international conferences on design, housing, and social impact. These experiences have shaped my ability to engage with diverse audiences from students to policymakers through compelling storytelling, grounded research, and real-world application. I bring a clear, inspiring voice to complex topics, helping audiences connect big ideas with practical change.