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This art-heist-thriller-meets-portrait-documentary delves into the disappearance of over 100 "treasonous" paintings by the co-director's father, revolutionary Iranian artist Nickzad (Nicky) Nodjoumi.

Synopsis

After an exhibition of Iranian artist Nicky Nodjoumi’s work in 1980 is declared critical of the regime, it is vandalised by Islamist radicals, and he is forced to flee Iran. Decades later, as protests erupt in Iran again, Nicky and his daughter Sara dive into the mystery surrounding the disappearance of more than 100 of his "treasonous" paintings. The result is a political thriller with intimate conversations that reveal the power of art, sacrifice, and family.

Courtesy of HBO Documentary Films

Media Gallery

A B&W archival shot of a male figure in a photography studio taking self-portrait in a mirror, with a woman posing in the background.
A B&W 35 mm film strip, a man (Nicky) facing the camera with his two hands covering his face
Painting of a man with moustache, red background, a plant

“Eventually the central event of my father’s life—the revolution and subsequent vandalisation of his art show in Tehran—led us to a film that hopefully pays tribute to both my parents’ art and life while also helping me understand the origins and mysteries of our homeland and family better.”
-    Sara Nodjoumi, co-director, A Revolution on Canvas 

Read about HRW's work in Iran
January 13, 2021
Iran: Relentless Repression of Dissent
September 10, 2019
Iran: Draconian Sentences for Rights Defenders

Credits

Sara Nodjoumi

Co-Director and Co-Producer
Close up of woman smiling with curly brown hair, looking away from camera

Sara Nodjoumi (she/her) is a producer, director and film festival programmer. Producing credits include THE IRAN JOB (2012), shortlisted for a German Academy Award and released worldwide on Netflix, WHEN GOD SLEEPS (2017), which played over 100 festivals worldwide, premiered on Independent Lens, and won numerous international awards, before being shortlisted for a German Academy Award, and REGGAE BOYZ (Audience Award Brooklyn Film Festival 2019). 
She is an alum of the Sundance Creative Producers Summit and the IFP Cannes Producers Network Fellowship. Nodjoumi was awarded the 2021 Inaugural Brown Girls Documentary Mafia Sustainable Artist Grant. REVOLUTION ON CANVAS is her directorial debut.

Till Schauder

Co-Director, Co-Producer, Director of Photography
Headshot of man with short brown hair smiling at camera, wearing black shirt

Till Schauder (he/him), originally from Germany, is a Brooklyn based writer, director, and cinematographer. His first documentary THE IRAN JOB (2012) was released on Netflix, mentioned as an Oscar contender, and shortlisted for a German Academy Award. His 2017 documentary WHEN GOD SLEEPS premiered at Tribeca, won Most Valuable Documentary of the Year at Cinema for Peace during Berlinale, and was shortlisted for a German Academy Award. His feature documentary WARRIORS OF FAITH (2017) won the German Television Academy Award (German Emmy) and a nomination for the Prix Europa. His 2019 documentary REGGAE BOYZ (Audience Award Brooklyn Film Festival) was called “one of the funniest documentaries in years” by film-rezensionen.de and released theatrically in Germany and in digital theaters across America in 2020. His 2021 film POSTER MIGRANT premiered on German broadcast (ARD). REVOLUTION ON CANVAS is the first film that he co-directed with his producing partner and wife Sara Nodjoumi.