Iran is undergoing a period of socio-political transformation joined to a cultural space that despite binding censorship regulations, circumnavigates restrictive bans and, in the world of film, generates award winning, critically acclaimed masterpieces. 
In the course of this two-day conference, participants will investigate cinema in Iran as part of Iran’s rich media and cultural ecology. The conference brings together international scholars on topics, which explore:

  • The contemporary political and industrial context in which films are produced, distributed, and consumed in Iran and the ways in which formal and informal censorship structures and practices impact the industry;
  • Film as both a formal and informal information conduit in closed or censored societies;
  • Cinematic circulation and flows among and between the Iranian Diaspora and Iranians in Iran;
  • The role of Iranian cinema as public diplomacy and public debate surrounding film in Iran;
  • The political economy of film in Iran, including piracy and do-it-yourself (DIY) cinematic production such as YouTube;
  • The role of cinema vis à vis television: subject migration, professional migration, content regulation
In English
Organized by

This event is sponsored by the Iran Media Program at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, with support from the Free University of Berlin and George Washington University. 
The Iran Media Program is a collaborative network designed to enhance the understanding of Iran’s media ecology. Our goal is to strengthen a global network of Iranian media scholars and practitioners (the Iran Media Scholars Network) and to contribute to Iran’s civil society and the wider policy-making community by providing a more nuanced understanding of the role of media and the flow of information in Iran.

KV Cinema in Iran

The event, like all events at the ICI Berlin, is open to the public, free of charge. The audience is presumed to consent to a possible recording on the part of the ICI Berlin. If you would like to attend the event yet might require assistance, please contact Event Management.