Friday, October 9, 2026
1:30–3 p.m.
Annenberg Hall, Room 304

Documenting Iran introduces key historical foundations of documentary filmmaking amid generations of political change—first under the shah and later the Islamic government—with a focus on contemporary filmmakers between 2000 and 2022. Drawing on interviews and participant observation, Vaziri describes the creative practices and pragmatic choices that provide documentarians relative independence from state censorship and other restrictions on artistic production. Relying on poetic aesthetics, observational filmmaking, international connections, and the accumulated knowledge of a tight-knit local community, filmmakers engage with controversial topics like women’s rights, marriage and divorce laws, environmental degradation, and encounters with Western culture. Documentarians have thus created an activist cinema both subtle and persuasive enough to challenge dogmatic rule and uphold progressive elements of Iranian society.

About the speaker

Persheng Vaziri is an educator and filmmaker. She teaches film studies at Bard College's GHEA21 program and works on documentary projects as co-producer. Previously, she taught at Penn State University and Hofstra University. Her films are distributed by Women Make Movies and on Deep Dish TV. She was a producer at Link TV and Deep Dish TV. Her scholarly work is focused on Iranian and Middle Eastern cinema.