Grainy Pixel
Amin Pakparvar
Film maker and researcher
Contacts: apakpa@saic.edu
pakparvar.amin@gmail.com
Mehraneh Salimian
Film maker and researcher
Contacts: msalim1@saic.edu
mehrane.salimian@gmail.com
Amin Pakparvar is an Iranian scholar and filmmaker whose work moves between research and artistic practice. Holding a BA in Cinema Studies from the University of Art in Tehran and an MA in Visual and Critical Studies from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC), he researches the role of personal archives in Iran and how underground films, private recordings, and family photographs circulate online to reclaim political space. His films draw on speculative methods to reimagine hidden histories and overlooked sites in Iran, blurring the boundaries between documentation and invention. His scholarly and creative work has been presented at international conferences, Oscar-qualifying festivals, and major exhibitions. He has also held research and teaching assistance at SAIC and worked at the VDB, the largest video art archive in North America.
Mehraneh Salimian is an Iranian filmmaker, editor, and writer based in Chicago, working across documentary, video installation, and fiction film. With experience in 16mm film, her practice centers on the concept of the counter-archive, particularly in Iran, where she creates alternative narratives to challenge dominant historical accounts. Her work engages with themes of memory, unrecorded histories, and political erasure. Her short documentary Height of the Kite (2024) has been featured at Oscar-qualifying film festivals worldwide and received the Best Art Piece award from the Working Artist Organization in Tacoma, WA. Mehraneh holds an MFA in Film, Video, and New Media from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.