The 1979 Islamic Revolution brought with it significant changes for Iran. As the nation underwent a makeover, redefining itself on the global stage, its cinema too had to be re-examined. Under the laws of the Islamic Republic, the film industry was subject to strict censorship laws that controlled the country’s visual culture. In this session, we’ll be delving into the post-revolutionary cinematic history of Iran.

We’ll begin first by contextualising the state-sponsored censorship of Iranian films: what are its rules and regulations? What kinds of constraints do filmmakers face? From there, we discuss how filmmakers have turned to visuals, symbols, and signs to bring their message and stories to the screen.