Black and white archival photograph of two men in the desert, with one man seated on sandbags pointing out to the horizon while the other operates a 1950s motion film camera on a tripod.
March 24, 2026

A new book by UC Santa Barbara’s Mona Damluji examines the complex relationship between documentary filmmaking and the petroleum industry.

When exploring the origins of film in the Middle East, one unexpected player takes center stage: Big Oil. “The book is a history that illuminates the relationship between the oil industry and the history of film in the early 20th century,” explains Mona Damluji, an assistant professor in the Department of Film and Media Studies.

Her new book uncovers how corporate propaganda inadvertently fostered a vibrant era of Arab and Persian cultural production. Read the full story on The Current.


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