Fading Portraits

Film Synopsis

Fading Portraits provides a rare insight into a society where the government plays a pivotal role in artists’ lives, controlling the fate of their work, and subsequently their role within a society. The predicament that all artists in such societies face is that when the artist’s voice is not heard, it as if the artist does not even exist. Iran is one such society, and Maryam Zandi is one such artist. A renowned documentarian and photographer, Zandi is attempting to publish her photos of the 1979 Revolution and is faced with a dilemma: To give in to the Ministry of Culture & Islamic Guidance’s demand to omit several photos, or to maintain her persistence that historical events can not be censored. Fading Portraits documents her struggle, strength, and persistence in having her voice – and the voice of all artists in similar societies – heard.