Sohaib Ilyas’s journey began with a love for architecture and a quiet restlessness that sketches and drawings could never quite contain. While studying design, he found himself drawn not to building, but to the stories buildings held. Others captured them in stills, but Sohaib longed for movement, for breath, for time, for light shifting across walls. If a single image could stir emotion, what might a moving one awaken? That question lit the way forward. Through film, he found a medium where space could speak, memory could linger, and architecture could step out of silence, alive in movement and meaning.
What sets him apart is his ability to approach each project with a fresh perspective, crafting inventive films that feel as unique as the structures he captures. His background in architecture, combined with his instinct for storytelling, allows him to create work that is not only visually striking but deeply emotional. Whether it is a home brimming with character or a sprawling campus filled with untold stories, Sohaib uncovers the magic within and delivers it with cinematic grace and creative brilliance.
His work has earned him international acclaim. Twice named Architectural Videographer of the Year by Architizer in 2023 and 2025 and winner of the Architecture Hunter Awards 2025 where four of his films were finalists out of just nine total selections, Sohaib has also served as a jury member for the Architecture Hunter Awards 2024 and as a keynote speaker at the Architizer Film Festival 2023, shaping conversations around how architecture is experienced through film.
His films continue to travel widely. In 2023, The Vaulted School was screened at the Copenhagen Architecture Festival and the Venice Architecture Film Festival, marking his early international presence. The House of Memories won top honors at the Greece International Film Festival 2025, while Rehethaan and Hampi Art Labs were officially selected at the Psarokokalo International Short Film Festival 2025 and the Caesar Design Film Award at the Ennesimo Film Festival 2025.
The year 2025 was a defining milestone. His film Dual Villa won Best Video in the Building Portrait category at the Architizer Vision Awards 2025. In the same category, Parikrama was one of the five finalists, alongside Dua Villa, highlighting his strong presence in the field. Rehethaan was a finalist in the Experimental category and Vishnuvardhan Museum was a finalist in the Narrative category, reflecting the range of his storytelling across forms.
Pearls on Swine, co directed with Smita Thomas of Multitude of Sins, won the Archiboo Awards 2025 for Best Use of Film in Architecture. It received a Special Mention at the Architizer Vision Awards 2025 and is also an official selection at Arch Film Lund in Sweden for 2025. The films also got awarded as Winner in Best Experimental at the Tokyo International Cinema Awards 2025, a Nominee for Best Experimental at the Art Film Spirit Awards 2025 in Toronto, and an Honorable Mention at the Video Art and Experimental Film Festival VAEFF 2025 in New York. Additionally, his film Penny Royal Tea, which was also written by Smita Thomas, is a finalist at Música x Arquitectura in Barcelona for 2025.
Still asking questions and chasing stories, Sohaib continues to explore how architecture can move us both literally and emotionally through the language of film.
Sohaib Ilyas’s journey began with a love for architecture and a quiet restlessness that sketches and drawings could never quite contain. While studying design, he found himself drawn not to building, but to the stories buildings held. Others captured them in stills, but Sohaib longed for movement, for breath, for time, for light shifting across walls. If a single image could stir emotion, what might a moving one awaken? That question lit the way forward. Through film, he found a medium where space could speak, memory could linger, and architecture could step out of silence, alive in movement and meaning.
What sets him apart is his ability to approach each project with a fresh perspective, crafting inventive films that feel as unique as the structures he captures. His background in architecture, combined with his instinct for storytelling, allows him to create work that is not only visually striking but deeply emotional. Whether it is a home brimming with character or a sprawling campus filled with untold stories, Sohaib uncovers the magic within and delivers it with cinematic grace and creative brilliance.
His work has earned him international acclaim. Twice named Architectural Videographer of the Year by Architizer in 2023 and 2025 and winner of the Architecture Hunter Awards 2025 where four of his films were finalists out of just nine total selections, Sohaib has also served as a jury member for the Architecture Hunter Awards 2024 and as a keynote speaker at the Architizer Film Festival 2023, shaping conversations around how architecture is experienced through film.
His films continue to travel widely. In 2023, The Vaulted School was screened at the Copenhagen Architecture Festival and the Venice Architecture Film Festival, marking his early international presence. The House of Memories won top honors at the Greece International Film Festival 2025, while Rehethaan and Hampi Art Labs were officially selected at the Psarokokalo International Short Film Festival 2025 and the Caesar Design Film Award at the Ennesimo Film Festival 2025.
The year 2025 was a defining milestone. His film Dual Villa won Best Video in the Building Portrait category at the Architizer Vision Awards 2025. In the same category, Parikrama was one of the five finalists, alongside Dua Villa, highlighting his strong presence in the field. Rehethaan was a finalist in the Experimental category and Vishnuvardhan Museum was a finalist in the Narrative category, reflecting the range of his storytelling across forms.
Pearls on Swine, co directed with Smita Thomas of Multitude of Sins, won the Archiboo Awards 2025 for Best Use of Film in Architecture. It received a Special Mention at the Architizer Vision Awards 2025 and is also an official selection at Arch Film Lund in Sweden for 2025. The films also got awarded as Winner in Best Experimental at the Tokyo International Cinema Awards 2025, a Nominee for Best Experimental at the Art Film Spirit Awards 2025 in Toronto, and an Honorable Mention at the Video Art and Experimental Film Festival VAEFF 2025 in New York. Additionally, his film Penny Royal Tea, which was also written by Smita Thomas, is a finalist at Música x Arquitectura in Barcelona for 2025.
Still asking questions and chasing stories, Sohaib continues to explore how architecture can move us both literally and emotionally through the language of film.
Sohaib Ilyas’s journey began with a love for architecture and a quiet restlessness that sketches and drawings could never quite contain. While studying design, he found himself drawn not to building, but to the stories buildings held. Others captured them in stills, but Sohaib longed for movement, for breath, for time, for light shifting across walls. If a single image could stir emotion, what might a moving one awaken? That question lit the way forward. Through film, he found a medium where space could speak, memory could linger, and architecture could step out of silence, alive in movement and meaning.
What sets him apart is his ability to approach each project with a fresh perspective, crafting inventive films that feel as unique as the structures he captures. His background in architecture, combined with his instinct for storytelling, allows him to create work that is not only visually striking but deeply emotional. Whether it is a home brimming with character or a sprawling campus filled with untold stories, Sohaib uncovers the magic within and delivers it with cinematic grace and creative brilliance.
His work has earned him international acclaim. Twice named Architectural Videographer of the Year by Architizer in 2023 and 2025 and winner of the Architecture Hunter Awards 2025 where four of his films were finalists out of just nine total selections, Sohaib has also served as a jury member for the Architecture Hunter Awards 2024 and as a keynote speaker at the Architizer Film Festival 2023, shaping conversations around how architecture is experienced through film.
His films continue to travel widely. In 2023, The Vaulted School was screened at the Copenhagen Architecture Festival and the Venice Architecture Film Festival, marking his early international presence. The House of Memories won top honors at the Greece International Film Festival 2025, while Rehethaan and Hampi Art Labs were officially selected at the Psarokokalo International Short Film Festival 2025 and the Caesar Design Film Award at the Ennesimo Film Festival 2025.
The year 2025 was a defining milestone. His film Dual Villa won Best Video in the Building Portrait category at the Architizer Vision Awards 2025. In the same category, Parikrama was one of the five finalists, alongside Dua Villa, highlighting his strong presence in the field. Rehethaan was a finalist in the Experimental category and Vishnuvardhan Museum was a finalist in the Narrative category, reflecting the range of his storytelling across forms.
Pearls on Swine, co directed with Smita Thomas of Multitude of Sins, won the Archiboo Awards 2025 for Best Use of Film in Architecture. It received a Special Mention at the Architizer Vision Awards 2025 and is also an official selection at Arch Film Lund in Sweden for 2025. The films also got awarded as Winner in Best Experimental at the Tokyo International Cinema Awards 2025, a Nominee for Best Experimental at the Art Film Spirit Awards 2025 in Toronto, and an Honorable Mention at the Video Art and Experimental Film Festival VAEFF 2025 in New York. Additionally, his film Penny Royal Tea, which was also written by Smita Thomas, is a finalist at Música x Arquitectura in Barcelona for 2025.
Still asking questions and chasing stories, Sohaib continues to explore how architecture can move us both literally and emotionally through the language of film.
Sohaib ILyas
Sohaib ILyas
Sohaib ILyas
Sohaib ILyas
filmmaker
INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED
INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED
INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNISED
