The Promise (2023) · Documentary | iWonder

The Promise

PLUS

202390 minPGdocumentary

10.0/ 10(1 rating)• iWonder

PLUS

The Promise

202390 minPGdocumentary

10.0/ 10(1 rating)• iWonder

Influential Indian architect and Pritzker Prize winner Balkrishna Doshi offers an exclusive look at his buildings, work process, and inspiration.

Genres

Director

Jan Schmidt-Garre

The Promise

2023• 90 minPG

10.0/ 10(1 rating)• iWonder

Synopsis

Influential Indian architect and Pritzker Prize winner Balkrishna Doshi offers an exclusive look at his buildings, work process, and inspiration.

People

Jan Schmidt-Garre

Jan Schmidt-Garredirector

Balkrishna Doshicast

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Gris

Charles-Édouard Jeanneret-Griscast

Synopsis

Balkrishna Doshi (1927-2023), one of India’s most influential architects and a Pritzker Prize recipient, has a 70-year portfolio, including collaborations with Le Corbusier and Louis Kahn. This film offers an exclusive look at his buildings, work process, inspiration and motivation. A brilliant storyteller, Doshi shares his wisdom, humor, and humanity.

Awards & Festivals

Comments

What are people saying?

Trailer

We wrote about this film

Designing Spaces – iWonder October Highlights
With World Architecture and World Habitat Day both falling in the first half of this month, we’ve chosen four films that show how design shapes not just buildings, but also our environment, our cultures, and even our vision of beauty.
30 Sept 2025

Play More Arts on PLUS

Play More Biography on PLUS

Meet the Makers: The Whisky Blender (2017)

Homeland (2022)

Living The High Life (2024)

Shall We Dance In Russia? (2022)

A Decade After An Acid Attack (2023)

Zoya, The First (2023)

A Lady Bus Conductor (2023)

Tariku Gankisi Goes Home (2023)

Olga's Search (2023)

The Last Man of Epecuén (2024)

Skate Champ (2022)

Faii, The Foot Makeup Queen (2023)

A Journey Through Pain (2022)

Ancona Respect: A New Life (2023)

Painting Through Pain (2023)

The Role Of A Soldier (2022)

Extraordinary Teacher Damkerng (2023)

Kiran Ahuja (2023)

Real Life Stuntman (2022)

A Mom's Personal Mission (2022)

Play More Like This

An American in War-Torn Bangladesh (2024)

An American in War-Torn Bangladesh

450,000 calls were made to Louis Kahn before his sudden death in 1974, marking the end of a visionary architect's influence on Bangladesh's National Assembly complex.

An American in War-Torn Bangladesh

Architecture, art and design - 100 years of the Bauhaus (3/3) (2019)

Architecture, art and design - 100 years of the Bauhaus (3/3)

After 100 years, the ideals of the Bauhaus remain relevant, influencing modern design and urban planning in response to issues like climate change and urbanization.

Architecture, art and design - 100 years of the Bauhaus (3/3)

Exploring Lakshmi Vilas Palace - World's Greatest Palaces (2023)

Exploring Lakshmi Vilas Palace - World's Greatest Palaces

Explore Lakshmi Vilas Palace, the largest private dwelling in India, built for the Maharaja of Baroda.

Exploring Lakshmi Vilas Palace - World's Greatest Palaces

16 Jaw-Dropping Architectural Marvels (2021)

16 Jaw-Dropping Architectural Marvels

A 147-foot high central building, nicknamed the nut, supports two performance auditoriums in a concert hall designed by Santiago Calatrava.

16 Jaw-Dropping Architectural Marvels

Architecture, art and design - 100 years of the Bauhaus (2/3) (2019)

Architecture, art and design - 100 years of the Bauhaus (2/3)

Bauhaus was forced to shut down in 1933 when Hitler seized power, leading many of its artists and architects to emigrate and spread its principles worldwide.

Architecture, art and design - 100 years of the Bauhaus (2/3)

Zaha Hadid on architecture (2014)

Zaha Hadid on architecture

Paul Goldberger discusses Zaha Hadid's influential architecture and her Olympic projects.

Zaha Hadid on architecture

Arthur Erickson (2023)

Arthur Erickson

Arthur Erickson reflects on architecture's impact on perception while discussing his notable projects, including the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 70 and designs in Saudi Arabia.

Arthur Erickson

Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi (2025)

Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi

In ancient Greece, the Oracle of Delphi served as a pivotal religious site where priestesses delivered prophecies attributed to the god Apollo.

Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi

Crafting History: Stained Glass Art (2022)

Crafting History: Stained Glass Art

Rowan LeCompte and Dieter Goldkuhle create their final stained glass windows for Washington National Cathedral, showcasing a 1,500-year-old Christian craft.

Crafting History: Stained Glass Art

The Secrets of Versailles: Building the World's Greatest Palace (2026)

The Secrets of Versailles: Building the World's Greatest Palace

The Palace of Versailles, a monumental achievement of French kings Louis XIII, Louis XIV, and Louis XVI, showcases extraordinary engineering and architectural innovation over three centuries.

The Secrets of Versailles: Building the World's Greatest Palace

Inside the Palacio Real, Madrid | Museum Secrets 15/22 (2025)

Inside the Palacio Real, Madrid | Museum Secrets 15/22

Inside the Palacio Real in Madrid, a clock powered by witchcraft and the actions of King Felipe VI against fascism reveal the palace's hidden secrets.

Inside the Palacio Real, Madrid | Museum Secrets 15/22

Why Did The Greatest Maya City Suddenly Vanish? (2026)

Why Did The Greatest Maya City Suddenly Vanish?

Chichén Itzá, a once-thriving Maya city in Mexico, showcases remarkable structures like El Caracol and El Castillo while exploring the reasons behind its sudden decline.

Why Did The Greatest Maya City Suddenly Vanish?

Play More Films About Architecture

Are London's skyscrapers good for the city? (2013)

Are London's skyscrapers good for the city?

2013

Castle Howard: 'A stage set for us to strut on' (2011)

Castle Howard: 'A stage set for us to strut on'

2011

China's Mega Tombs: One Of The Biggest Mortuary Complexes On Earth (2019)

China's Mega Tombs: One Of The Biggest Mortuary Complexes On Earth

2019

Coast Modern (2024)

Coast Modern

2024

An American in War-Torn Bangladesh (2024)

An American in War-Torn Bangladesh

2024

Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi (2025)

Apollo and the Oracle of Delphi

2025

Architecture of Infinity (2018)

Architecture of Infinity

2018

deluxe: Garage Home in Amsterdam (2010)

deluxe: Garage Home in Amsterdam

2010

Play More Films in Arts

Graffiti taggers need harsher punishment (2024)

Graffiti taggers need harsher punishment

2024

Edwidge Danticat Looks at Racist Violence in American Art (2016)

Edwidge Danticat Looks at Racist Violence in American Art

2016

This Guy Collects Artwork From Serial Killers (HBO) (2018)

This Guy Collects Artwork From Serial Killers (HBO)

2018

Art Historians Can't Agree If This Sketchbook Belonged To Van Gogh (HBO) (2016)

Art Historians Can't Agree If This Sketchbook Belonged To Van Gogh (HBO)

2016

How Much Does A Cartoonist Make? (2017)

How Much Does A Cartoonist Make?

2017

Puerto Rico's Protest Art Calls for the Island's Independence (2017)

Puerto Rico's Protest Art Calls for the Island's Independence

2017

The dying art of the photographic darkroom (2013)

The dying art of the photographic darkroom

2013

The Shard - A view from the top of London's tallest building (2013)

The Shard - A view from the top of London's tallest building

2013

Play More Films in Biography

From user to dealer perspective (2024)

From user to dealer perspective

2024

Berlin 1938 (2025)

Berlin 1938

2025

Meet El Chapo's Mom (2015)

Meet El Chapo's Mom

2015

Contacting My Sexually Abusive Dad (2023)

Contacting My Sexually Abusive Dad

2023

Trump hotel workers in Las Vegas ask billionaire for fair pay (2016)

Trump hotel workers in Las Vegas ask billionaire for fair pay

2016

Why It's So Hard To Get People To Care About Humanitarian Crises (2018)

Why It's So Hard To Get People To Care About Humanitarian Crises

2018

Olympics 2012 profile: Hannah Powell, 48kg weightlifting British champion

2011

Laura Pidcock tells Owen Jones: 'the DWP has caused fear and terror' (2018)

Laura Pidcock tells Owen Jones: 'the DWP has caused fear and terror'

2018

Explore The Promise

Cast & Crew Awards Topics FAQ Stream

Browse more like this

Exploring Lakshmi Vilas Palace - World's Greatest Palaces (2023)

Exploring Lakshmi Vilas Palace - World's Greatest Palaces

Explore Lakshmi Vilas Palace, the largest private dwelling in India, built for the Maharaja of Baroda.

Exploring Lakshmi Vilas Palace - World's Greatest Palaces

No digital watch option in your country

Arthur Erickson (2023)

Arthur Erickson

Arthur Erickson reflects on architecture's impact on perception while discussing his notable projects, including the Canadian Pavilion at Expo 70 and designs in Saudi Arabia.

Arthur Erickson

No digital watch option in your country

Why Did The Greatest Maya City Suddenly Vanish? (2026)

Why Did The Greatest Maya City Suddenly Vanish?

Chichén Itzá, a once-thriving Maya city in Mexico, showcases remarkable structures like El Caracol and El Castillo while exploring the reasons behind its sudden decline.

Why Did The Greatest Maya City Suddenly Vanish?

No digital watch option in your country

Sketches of Frank Gehry (2006)

Sketches of Frank Gehry

2006•1h23m•★6.9

Frank Gehry's innovative architectural style is explored through interviews with figures like Michael Eisner and Barry Diller, alongside footage of his iconic works.

Sketches of Frank Gehry

My Architect: A Son's Journey (2003)

My Architect: A Son's Journey

2003•1h56m•★6.8

Three families were left unaware of each other's existence after the death of architect Louis Kahn in 1974, complicating his son's search for understanding.

My Architect: A Son's Journey

Louis Kahn's Tiger City (2019)

Louis Kahn's Tiger City

2019•1h47m•★10.0

A monumental parliamentary complex designed by Louis Kahn in Bangladesh spans over 1.5 million square feet, reflecting the nation's architectural ambitions.

Louis Kahn's Tiger City

Palladio: The Power Of Architecture (2019)

Palladio: The Power Of Architecture

2019•1h37m•★6.0

Three restoration students and scholars gather at a Palladian villa to discuss the architectural legacy of Andrea Palladio during a dedicated conference.

Palladio: The Power Of Architecture

Kochuu (2003)

Kochuu

2003•52m•★6.5

Four renowned Japanese architects discuss their vision of blending modern design with traditional philosophies in a 52-minute documentary.

Dieste (2017)

Dieste

2017•1h35m•★4.4

Three significant structures by Julio Vilamajó in Montevideo from the 1930s may have influenced Eladio Dieste's innovative buildings constructed between 1955 and 1994.

Didi Contractor: Marrying the Earth to the Building (2017)

Didi Contractor: Marrying the Earth to the Building

2017•1h21m•★6.0

At 86 years old, Didi Contractor has spent over two decades creating homes from natural materials like clay, bamboo, and slate in the Kangra Valley.

Didi Contractor: Marrying the Earth to the Building

Louis Kahn: Silence and Light (1996)

Louis Kahn: Silence and Light

1996•58m•★9.5

Six significant buildings designed by Louis Kahn are examined, including the Salk Institute and the Parliament Buildings of Bangladesh.

Louis Kahn: Silence and Light

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Bettany Hughes (2025)

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Bettany Hughes

Bettany Hughes explores the architectural achievements and cultural significance of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, including the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World by Bettany Hughes

Dieste: the Consciousness of Form (1997)

Dieste: the Consciousness of Form

1997•54m•★10.0

Eladio Dieste, an innovative Uruguayan architect, articulates his ethical approach to architecture and the importance of beauty and creativity in design during a 1997 interview.

Dieste: the Consciousness of Form

Where Architects Live (2014)

Where Architects Live

2014•1h17m•★6.5

Eight renowned architects, including Shigeru Ban and Zaha Hadid, reveal how their personal living spaces shape their architectural philosophies.

Where Architects Live

Chateaux of the Loire: Royal Visit (2018)

Chateaux of the Loire: Royal Visit

Chambord contains 77 stairwells and 282 chimneys in the Loire Valley, known for its castles built by kings and noblemen over three centuries.

Chateaux of the Loire: Royal Visit

Browse more by Jan Schmidt-Garre

View all films →

Andreas Gursky: Long Shot Close Up (2010)

Andreas Gursky: Long Shot Close Up

2010

Olafur Eliasson: Notion Motion (2005)

Olafur Eliasson: Notion Motion

2005

Breath of the Gods (2012)

Breath of the Gods

2012

Junkies of Dreaming (2026)

Junkies of Dreaming

2026

This Not That: The Artist John Baldessari (2006)

This Not That: The Artist John Baldessari

2006

Opera Fanatic: Stefan & the Divas (2000)

Opera Fanatic: Stefan & the Divas

2000

Fuoco Sacro - A Search for the Sacred Fire of Song (2022)

Fuoco Sacro - A Search for the Sacred Fire of Song

2022