A FREE FARHANG EVENT

Farhang Foundation & Homa Films
Present

The Premiere of

OF KINGS AND PAINTINGS

A film by Sara Nodjoumi

OF KINGS AND PAINTINGS is a history of the extraordinary art of Iran from 1785 to 1925. The documentary is the first film to explore the work of Iran's most significant artists of this remarkable era that straddled the transition between tradition and modernity. While offering an overview of painters and paintings of the Qajar era and its influence on Iranian artists and photographers today, the film weaves together art history and Iranian history.

Running time: 58 min.

Featuring an exclusive Q&A with top art experts and filmmakers

About Sara Nodjoumi - Director

Sara Nodjoumi is an independent filmmaker and festival programmer who has produced films for ITVS, Motto Pictures, Catapult Film Fund, and Fork Films, and has been supported by numerous foundations including the Sundance Institute, Jerome Foundation, and NYSCA. Her 2017 film WHEN GOD SLEEPS premiered in competition at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival and went on to win a number of international awards including the Golden Heynal Award for Best Music Doc at the Krakow Film Festival and Most Valuable Film of the Year from Cinema for Peace in Berlin, in addition to being shortlisted for a German Academy Award in 2018. Her 2018 feature documentary REGGAE BOYZ, about the healing power of soccer and music in Jamaica, delighted audiences from Berlin to the Bahamas and earned a nomination for best feature documentary from the German Television Academy. It had its US Premiere at the 2019 Brooklyn Film Festival where it won the Audience Award.

About the film OF KINGS AND PAINTINGS, she says, "Both my parents are Iranian artists. Growing up I was exposed to Iranian art of the 19th and 20th Century either through my parents or their friends. Whether it was art openings, or conversations between the artists, one topic always came up and that was Qajar art. My interest grew when I attended the opening of the Brooklyn Museum exhibition in 1998 curated by Layla Diba and Maryam Ekhtiar. Since then, I've been curious about this time frame in Iran and always wanted to learn more. When the opportunity arose to direct this film, it felt like a natural fit. I've learned so much through this process, about Iran, about Qajar art, who the Qajar's were, and the history 

About Mehran Haghighi - Producer

"It would not be wrong to say that the world has seen only a glimpse into the extraordinary world of Iranian art and culture," says Mehran Haghighi, the producer of OF KINGS AND PAINTINGS. "And what is most lacking is a view of Iran's artistic and visual communication, that is virtually unknown to the rest of the world. A large pool of written resources exists about Iranian (Persian) history and its scientific and cultural achievements, but almost no such information is conveyed through the visual medium."

With the goal to set that right, Haghighi's twenty-five years as a filmmaker and producer led him to produce OF KINGS AND PAINTINGS, a film that showcases the visual aspects of Iranian art, history and culture that does not yet exist in the mainstream of educational documentaries. "There is a sea of educational documentaries about European, Asian, and African countries art; why not about Iranian?" adds Haghighi. "I want educators and the general public, to come to understand Iran and its heritage through learning about Iranian art."

Haghighi began his filmmaking career in 1991 by co-founding Behnegar, a production and distribution company in Iran. In a span of 20 years at Behnegar, he was involved in the production and distribution of several fiction feature films, some of which were co-produced with filmmakers from France, Japan, Tunisia, and Germany. Five of the 13 films he worked on were recognized with industry awards, including the feature film Djomeh (Iran, France 2000), recipient of the Camera d'Or in Cannes 2000; Wind Carpet (Iran, Japan 2003); and Bab'Aziz: The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul (Iran, France, Tunisia Germany, and England 2005), recipient of Best Feature Film at the Golden Minbar Film Festival. 

After living for many years in Iran, Haghighi moved to the US in 2013. In 2016, he established Homa Films, a production and distribution company focused on producing films that showcase Iranian heritage, history, art and culture. His films are meant to serve as informational and entertaining resources in the field of Iranian studies, to help raise awareness and appreciation of Iran's fascinating and important heritage.