Private Project

The House of Annetta

In the heart of Spitalfields, London, stands a testament to one woman's unwavering dedication to her craft and ideas – The House of Annetta.

Annetta Pedretti was a young architect and cyberneticist when she bought the house in 1980. She had a vision to restore it by hand, a daunting task that would occupy the rest of her life.

Annetta's restoration of the house was not simply a physical undertaking. It was also a philosophical and spiritual journey. She saw the house as a living system, and approached its restoration with reverence and care.

Through a blend of archival footage, intimate interviews, diary excerpts, and newly captured scenes, “House of Annetta” paints a poetic portrait of a woman deeply connected to her process. Borrowing from the visual language of Annetta’s artistic and theoretical work, it weaves a picture of one woman who despite great hardship learnt to live through the restoration of her home.

The film is a celebration of Annetta's life and work. A meditation on the meaning of craft, process and time.

As Annetta put it “This is not just a restoration, this is a work of art.”

  • Nicholas Seaton
    Director
  • Nabil Muzayyin
    Producer
  • Annetta Pedretti
    Key Cast
  • Alice Edgerley
    Key Cast
    "Voice of Annetta"
  • Adar Raviv
    Director of Photography
  • Dovydas Draksas
    Sound
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes 10 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 1, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    United Kingdom
  • Country of Filming:
    United Kingdom
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - London Film School
Director Biography - Nicholas Seaton

Nicholas Seaton is a recent graduate of the Filmmaking Masters at London Film School where he specialised as a Director and an Editor. He was born in Wales and came to filmmaking slowly via an undergraduate degree in Architecture at the University of Cambridge and an early career in documentary and fashion photography. He is interested in telling stories about the complexities of human rationality, or lack thereof.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

I feel very proud of this film. Made in collaboration with Turner Prize winning architects Assemble, it is the result of three months working with a small but dedicated crew in a dusty attic to uncover the mysterious life of an extraordinary woman. Bringing to light never before seen material the film adopts the artistic and theoretical vocabulary of Annetta Pedretti to help tell her own story.