On November 17 & 18th, 2016 renowned international scholars and artists convened at the Block Museum to discuss the art of movie poster design, the art and industry of film, and the unique culture of cinephilia in Iran.

This symposium, Lucid Figurations: Iranian Movie Poster & Film Art served as the capstone event of the Block Museum’s Salaam Cinema! exhibition, the first American museum exhibition devoted solely to the art of Iranian cinema posters. Over the course of two days, panels, presentations, and screenings promoted discourse and reflection on over 50 years of Iranian film history and culture. [View event program.]  The symposium was organized by Hamid Naficy, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Professor in Northwestern University’s School of Communication, in collaboration with the Block Museum’s Curator of Media Arts, Michelle Puetz.  The event was co-sponsored by Northwestern University Department of Anthropology, Department of Radio-TV-Film, Screen Cultures Program, International Studies Program, Buffett Institute for Global Studies and the Center for Global Culture and Communication.

Listen to highlights from the program below including lectures by Ruth E. Iskin, Shiva Balaghi, Rambod Vala and Negar Mottahedeh.