German-Iranian filmmaker Behrooz Karamizade was awarded the German Screenplay Prize for his script for Empty Nets in 2021. Karamizade's work convinced the jury with its partly poetic, partly realistic scenes from modern-day Iran. The emotional drama broadens the perspective from the fate of an individual to the effects of global problems and political conflicts. It gives “the worldwide flight and migration movements a human face”, according to the German Screenplay Prize jury's statement.

After making a handful of short films and working as an editor, such as lately on the documentary Courage [+lire aussi :
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fiche film] by Aliaksei Paluyan, Karamizade has shot his first feature as a director. It tells the story of a young Iranian called Amir, who begins working as a fisherman on the Caspian Sea in order to raise the dowry for his great love, Narges. Amir becomes entangled in criminal machinations related to illegal caviar poaching when he signs up with a rural fishery. However, he increasingly finds himself on uncertain ground, causing his relationship with Narges to falter.

Karamizade’s feature debut tells a haunting story from contemporary Iran, about the longing and search for a freer future, which symbolises the turmoil of a young generation that sees no future prospects for itself in the country owing to international sanctions, high rates of unemployment and strong regimentation by the Islamic ruling system.

In charge of the cinematography is Iranian DoP Ashkan Ashkani, who has worked for prominent Iranian filmmakers over the last few years, such as Mohammad Rasoulof on his drama There Is No Evil [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]. The film has been shot in Farsi and stars Hamid Reza Abbasi, Sadif Asgari (Until Tomorrow [+lire aussi :
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fiche film], Yalda, A Night for Forgiveness [+lire aussi :
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fiche film]), Keyvan Mohamadi and Pantea Panahiha (Hit the Road) in the main roles.

Empty Nets is a production by BASIS BERLIN Filmproduktion in co-production with Germany’s Living Pictures Production and Rainy Pictures, based in Iran, and in cooperation with ZDF/Das kleine Fernsehspiel and ARTE. Port au Prince Pictures is the German distributor.

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