HBO documentary Films’ “A Revolution on Canvas,” about Iranian revolutionary artist and activist Nickzad “Nicky” Nodjoumi, is set to debut on HBO and Max on March 5.
The 95-minute docu directed by his daughter, Sara Nodjoumi, and her husband, Till Schauder (“When God Sleeps”), is an art-heist-thriller-meets-portrait doc that recounts how Nickzad was forced to flee Iran in 1980 due to the controversial nature of his paintings on display at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. The film delves into the disappearance of over 100 “treasonous” paintings made by the artist, while also capturing Nodjoumi and Schauder’s attempt to not only track down his lost paintings, but also reclaim them. During the search, Nodjoumi, drawing on conversations with both her father and mother, celebrated artistNahid Hagigat, grapples with complex feelings and mysteries tied to her own upbringing in Iran and America. The first-time director uncovers the personal costs of political turmoil.
“A Revolution on Canvas,” highlights the dangers of extremism which is on the rise everywhere in the world, and the importance of freedom of expression especially in the arts, says Nodjoumi. “The film also speaks to the universality of immigrant stories. This film is our story, specific to my artist parents and specific to Iran — but it’s not unlike many other immigrant stories. Especially those families who paid a hefty price for political activism.”
The doc, which made its world premiere at the 2023 Tribeca Film Festival, will bow in Europe on March 16 at the London Human Rights Watch Film Festival.
“What’s most important to me about the film is that it bears testimony to the oppression and cruelty of two successive dictatorial regimes in Iran through the lens of a painter while also telling the drama of one immigrant family in New York experiencing the repercussions of these regimes,” says Schauder. “It’s a unique lens, one that’s personal, emotional and more unflinching than photography or film can be. On a personal note, it was an incredible experience to work with these two exceptional artists and people who happen to be our family”
Here is an exclusive look at the trailer to “A Revolution on Canvas.”
