EMERGENCY’s Children’s Surgical Hospital in Uganda Featured in New Documentary Premiering in New York and Rome

EMERGENCY’s Children’s Surgical Hospital in Entebbe, Uganda, is featured in Five Living Buildings (by Renzo Piano), a new documentary exploring the relationship between architecture and the people who bring buildings to life.

Directed by Jonathan Goodman Levitt, the film premiered in October 2026 at the Architecture & Design Film Festival in New York and the Rome Film Festival in Italy.

Filmed across four continents over seven years, the documentary follows the everyday experiences of people who inhabit five buildings designed by Renzo Piano and his colleagues.

Alongside EMERGENCY’s hospital, the film features the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, and the OōEli Complex in Hangzhou, China.

A Hospital Designed Around People

Located on the shores of Lake Victoria, EMERGENCY’s Children’s Surgical Hospital opened in 2021 to provide free, high-quality surgical care to children in Uganda and beyond.

Designed by the Renzo Piano Building Workshop in collaboration with Studio TAMassociati and EMERGENCY, the hospital was Renzo Piano’s first architectural project in Africa. Its design combines modern medical facilities with traditional building techniques and environmental sustainability.

Through the daily experiences of doctors and patients, Five Living Buildings offers a glimpse into the hospital’s work and the people at the heart of its mission.

From Entebbe to New York and Rome

The documentary screened to sold-out audiences at New York’s Architecture & Design Film Festival, with David Lloyd Webber – International Communications & Development Manager and EMERGENCY UK Managing Director – attending the premiere. The film subsequently premiered in Rome on 21 October at the MAXXI Museum as part of the 21st Rome Film Festival.

Through the stories of doctors, patients, and others who inhabit these spaces, Five Living Buildings explores how architecture shapes everyday life and creates environments that foster community, well-being, and dignity.

For EMERGENCY, the film offers an opportunity to share the vision behind the Children’s Surgical Hospital: a place where thoughtful design and high-quality medical care come together to put patients and their needs first.

Photos courtesy of Iliad Entertainment.