In 1980, Iranian painter and political activist Nickzad Nodjoumi was good enough to show his work at the Tehran Museum of Modern Art. But he was also controversial enough to see more than 100 of those pieces disappear. As the Islamic Revolution began, Nodjoumi fled with his family to New York City, where he made a home and continued to paint.

Four decades later, in 2022, his daughter, Sara, tries to track down those missing paintings. Along the way, she discovers her father’s ongoing activism and learns more about his complicated relationship with his now ex-wife (and Sara’s mother), artist Nahid Hagigat. 

HBO's original documentary A Revolution on Canvas blends archival photos and videos, including images of both Nodjourmi’s and Hagigat’s art, as well as interviews with both of them. It also features the participation of Mahmoudreza Bahmanpour, a Tehran-based publisher; Linda Komaroff, a curator of Islamic art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art; Clare Davies, associate curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art; Iranian artist Shirin Neshat; Karim Sadjadpour, senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; cultural historian Shiva Balaghi; and Masud Shafie Monfared, the former director of the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art.

A Revolution on Canvas is produced and directed by Sara Nodjoumi and Till Schauder and executive produced by Nancy Abraham, Lisa Heller and Sara Rodriguez. The documentary premieres Wednesdy, March 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on HBO and will be available to stream on Max.