Film & Talk at Penn Museum

Inside a small photo studio in Pakistan, clients urge the photographer to “make it look real” before their portraits are pasted onto stock photos with motorcycles, cars—anything they desire.

Following a screening of his award-winning documentary Make it Look Real, photojournalist and filmmaker Danial Shah joins Jamal J. Elias, scholar of religion, art, and literature in the Islamic world, for an illuminating conversation about truth, lies, and their blurred boundaries.

Make it Look Real was awarded the Jury Prize-Belgian Film by Cinéma en ateliers (AAAPA) in 2025, and has screened at festivals across the globe. Note: Danial Shah will join via Zoom.