In the aftermath of the Iranian revolution of 1979, the film industry was subjected to a process of purification. For almost four decades, explicit treatment of sex and sensuality has been forbidden from Iranian films. This has greatly affected the ways that intimate relationships are represented, with men and women forbidden from touching, and sensuality couched in abstract, poetic terms. However, in recent years, more filmmakers have tested the boundaries of Iranian censorship and have dared to allude more explicitly to sexual relations. This panel will discuss how contemporary Iranian filmmakers working both in Iran and the diasporas deal with this topic.

In partnership with Art Gallery NSW and The Association of Iranica in Australasia, the festival hosted a full day of engagement, discussion and cutting-edge research on Iranian Cinema. This conference features cross-disciplinary discourse on the impact and presence of Iranian cinema across the globe and includes screening of above films in honnor of acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Abbas Kiarostami.

Associate Professor Negar Mottahedeh from Duke University presented alongside Australian experts in contemporary Iranian Film and Screen, including Dr Amin Palangi, from Western Sydney University, Dr Michelle Langford from the University of NSW, Dr Rosa Holman from Deakin University, Dr Gay Breyley from Monash University, a PhD panel of students in Film & Screen Studies and the Art Gallery NSW film program producer, Ruby Arrowsmith-Todd.