All Films

The C40 group of the world's leading cities met in New York recently to discuss how cities could address the issues raised by climate change. Led by Bill Clinton and New York Mayor Michael R Bloomberg, city bosses were there in force, perhaps indicating the return of 'city states' as drivers of change. Monocle reports from the event and grabs interviews with some of the key players.

Kaoru Kubo welcomes thousands of travellers to Japan every day. A former announcer for public broadcaster NHK Kubo has, for 23 years, been the voice of the Airport Limousine buses that ferry passengers to and from Narita Airport. Her announcements are said in both Japanese and English, and her no-nonsense delivery has a cult following. It's also a quick introduction to Japanese etiquette. Once she's told you not to, you won't even think about chatting on your mobile phone. (With thanks to Airport Limousine).

Monocle visits architect and author James Sanders to discuss his exhibition, Celluloid Skyline, at Grand Central Station, New York. It's the story of how New York City was constructed in the movies, through the imagination of Hollywood-based filmmakers. Sanders tells us how the exhibition design came together, upon the discovery of giant scenic backings from classic movies like North by Northwest and The Clock.

Monocle looks at the building boom in the western Afghan city of Herat, where gaudy palaces are wiping out the face of the medieval city. Much of the construction is being fuelled by money from drugs, guns or graft, although all of the interiors photographed by Monocle belonged to businessmen importing materials for the country's reconstruction boom. Less savoury characters were not so welcoming. We were turned away from one house after the militia commander who lived next door threatened the owner.

Poltrona Frau are one of Italy's most interesting groups, and certainly didn't disappoint at 2007's Salone del Mobile, with a massive stand and strong product range. Monocle editor-in-chief Tyler Brûlé talks to CEO Matteo di Montezemolo about the importance of the Salone to the group, and their broader ambitions.

The Gantenbein Winery, in Fläsch, Switzerland, has been the prototype for an entirely new approach to bricklaying: using modified industrial robots. Traditionally, the promise of industrial robots has been that they would replace the human workforce. But these projects, led by the Architecture and Digital Fabrication laboratory at ETH Zürich, demonstrate a different result: architects are free to create designs and patterns of a precision that simply could not be achieved by hand. Monocle spoke to Professors Fabio Gramazio and Matthias Kohler, who have been collaborating on the project with partners Keller AG and Bearth & Deplazes, about what it means for both building and buildings, and the industry's initial reaction to a prospective army of robot builders.

Norway currently ranks as one of the world's most energy rich nations and boasts one of the biggest social funds as a result. Estimated to be hovering around the $300 billion mark, it has helped the country create a standard of living that also tops international league tables. To accompany our cover story in issue 02, Monocle was granted an exclusive interiew with the country's Crown Prince Haakon. Editor-in-chief Tyler Brûlé spoke to him in his private office at the palace in Oslo.

In Monocle issue 02, we featured Los Angeles-based architect Andrea Lenardin Madden. The Austrian modernist might have seemed an odd choice as the design force behind the fast-expanding Sprinkles cupcake empire, yet as Monocle examines her collaboration with Sprinkles in more depth, we find that Lenardin Madden's influence even extends to the cakes.

Two productions by K+D for video installations in Paris. The first, an extract from the video installation presented at Paris Capitale de la Création, 2004: 'The curse of bears and dolls in Paris sky'. Second, an extract from the video installation presented at Baccarat's showroom for Designer's Days 2004, Paris: 'Beauty and Beast having a fight and breaking dark crystal'.

Caperino & Peperone, or Cap & Pep, are canine creations by Kuntzel+Deygas, which are often seen at the colette concept store in Paris. Here we present four K+D spots featuring Cap & Pep in a variety of situations, alongside a Lacoste croc and work by Edouard Baer for colette's 10th anniversary.

With the success of the opening titles for Catch Me If You Can, Kuntzel+Deygas' work received further international acclaim. Here we present an extract from that beautiful sequence, alongside extracts from the alternative titles for The Pink Panther and K+D's sequence for BBC4's The Desk.

An exclusive look around the K+D studio, shot by the team. We follow K+D into the atelier, checking the Domaine Clos Noir burgundy in detail, the studio, at work, and the division of labour between Kuntzel+Deygas.

Featuring videos for 'Rose Rouge' by St Germain, 'Reaching For The Stars' by Fantastic Plastic Machine, 'The Sssound Of Music' by Bertrand Burgalat, and 'Very Stylish Fille' by Dimitri From Paris.

The debut of Com-Pet, a new character in development by Kuntzel+Deygas. The concept? "Communication pet", a cross between a pet and a communication tool.

Animated cow Winney has featured in K+D's work since 1999. Here we see Winney in a contribution to a charity auction organized by Veuve Clicquot, Japan, from October 2006, and an exclusive glimpse of Winney's next performance.