The 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival, running from 3-11 July, has unveiled its competition line-ups (see the news), with Hijamat, the fourth feature by Iranian filmmaker Nader Saeivar, set to have its world premiere in the Crystal Globe Competition.

Set within a deeply religious Muslim family, the story follows Kerem, whose secret relationship with another man is exposed, sending shockwaves through his household and community. As his older brother Murad tries to protect him, he becomes increasingly trapped between familial duty, religious pressure and the unravelling of long-buried tensions, ultimately finding himself overwhelmed by conflicting loyalties.

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The film stars German actor and director Kida Khodr Ramadan (4 Blocks, Al-Shafaq - When Heaven Divides) as Murad, while up-and-coming actor Jael Cem Ilhan plays Kerem. The cast also includes well-known German thesps Nicolette Krebitz (Hysteria, The Light) as Leyla, Moritz Bleibtreu (Run Lola Run, The Experiment) as Michael and Nastassja Kinski (Paris, Texas, Tess) as Margot, alongside Aziz Çapkurt (Brides, The Last Resort), Vedat Erincin (Hesitation Wound), Derya Durmaz (Elaha) and Jeremy Hanhoff.

Saeivar directs from his own screenplay. Hijamat marks a new collaboration with Oscar-nominated Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident), who won the Palme d’Or at Cannes 2025, and who also serves as editor and producer on this project. Saeivar’s previous work includes The Witness, which premiered in Venice’s Orizzonti Extra and was another collaboration with Panahi, as well as The Alien, which had its premiere in the Berlinale Forum, and No End. The cinematography is by Turkish DoP Emre Erkmen (A Tale of Three Sisters, Faruk), with original music by Hossein Mirzagholi, sound design by Andreas Mücke and production design by Michael Schindlmeier.

Hijamat is being produced by Jafar Panahi, Said Nur Akkuş for Berlin-based ArtHood Films and Murat Şeker for Istanbul-based sugarWorkz, in co-production with Ufuk Genç for Lightburst Pictures and Jan-Peter Jachtmann for JPJ Film Productions. The project has received support from Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg and the Deutscher Filmförderfonds. Its international sales are handled by ArtHood Entertainment.