Writer & Director: Behrooz Karamizade
Cast: Hamid Reza Abbasi, Sadaf Asgari, Keyvan Mohamadi, Pantea Panahiha, Ali Bagheri
Production: Basis Berlin Filmproduktion, Living Pictures Production, Rainy Pictures
German Distributor: Port au Prince Pictures


+++ In German cinemas January 18 2024 +++

Amir loves Narges and Narges loves Amir. They dream of building a life together, but when Amir loses his job, marriage becomes a distant prospect – the bride price Iranian traditions demand of him is too high. Hoping to overcome class differences with hard work, Amir hires on with a rural fishery on the rugged coast of the Caspian Sea, where he becomes entangled in criminal activities of illegal caviar poaching. Amir is increasingly drawn into a dangerous maelstrom that also endangers his relationship with Narges.

With his visually impressive debut film EMPTY NETS, director Behrooz Karamizade unfolds a poetic love story and at the same time paints a haunting portrait of the young generation in Iran: He tells of their hope for a freer future and sheds light on the life-threatening flight movements in contemporary Iran.

A powerful drama about cemented inequalities and a highly topical film from Iran, made at a turbulent and explosive time. EMPTY NETS gives us a deep insight into today’s Iranian society.

SPECIAL SCREENINGS TOUR with director Behrooz Karamizade

Mon., 08.01.24KASSEL19:30Bali KinoTickets
Tue., 09.01.24FRANKFURT AM MAIN20:30Harmonie KinoTickets
Wed., 10.01.24BERLIN20:00Filmkunst 66Tickets
Fri., 12.01.24MÜNSTER19:30CinemaTickets
Sat., 13.01.24DÜSSELDORF19:00BambiTickets
Sun., 14.01.24HAMBURG17:00AbatonTickets
Mon., 15.01.24BREMEN20:00Cinema OstertorTickets
Tue., 16.01.24LEIPZIG18:30Passage KinoTickets
Thu., 18.01.24MÜNCHEN18:30MonopolTickets
Wed., 24.01.24KÖLN20:00FilmpaletteTickets

After successful premieres at this year’s film festivals in Munich (New German Cinema Award) and Karlovy Vary (Special Jury Prize), the German-Iranian filmmaker Behrooz Karamizade won the Newcomer Award at the Hessian Film Awards. EMPTY NETS recently also impressed the jury at this year’s Adelaide Film Festival as Best Feature Film. The touching drama has already been honoured with the Horizonte Film Award at the Fünf Seen Festival as well as the jury and audience award at Ahrenshooper Filmnächte 2023.

LEERE NETZE was produced by BASIS BERLIN Filmproduktion in co-production with Living Pictures Production, Rainy Pictures and ZDF/Das kleine Fernsehspiel in cooperation with ARTE, funded by BKM, Hessen Film & Medien, Kuratorium Junger Deutscher Film and Dfff.