Black Rabbit, White Rabbit
2025 Tajik film

Black Rabbit, White Rabbit
International promotional poster
TajikХаргӯши сиёҳ, харгӯши сафед
Directed byShahram Mokri
Screenplay by
  • Nasim Ahmadpour
  • Shahram Mokri
Produced byNegar Eskandarfar
Starring
  • Babak Karimi
  • Hasti Mohammai
  • Kibriyo Dilyobova
  • Bezhan Davlyatov
CinematographyMorteza Gheidi
Edited byShahram Mokri
Music byPeyman Yazdanian
Production
company
Karnameh Dubai Co.
Release dates
  • 21 September 2025 (2025-09-21) (Busan)
  • 24 September 2025 (2025-09-24) (Tajikistan)
Running time
139 minutes
Countries
  • Tajikistan
  • United Arab Emirates
Languages
  • Tajik
  • Russian

Black Rabbit, White Rabbit (Tajik: Харгӯши сиёҳ, харгӯши сафед) is a 2025 mystery drama film co-written and directed by Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri. Starring Babak Karimi, Hasti Mohammai and Kibriyo Dilyobova, it follows three destinies intertwined through apparently unrelated events.[1]

The film had its world premiere at the Visions – Asia section of the 30th Busan International Film Festival on 21 September 2025,[2] and was theatrically released in Tajikistan on 24 September. It was also selected as the Tajikistani entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards,[3] but was not on the list of films accepted by the academy.[4]

Premise

The narrative of the film explores fear and fragility within a society shaped by human imperfection. A man dies during an illegal gun deal at an antique shop, triggering a chain of interconnected events involving various individuals. These include a film director remaking a classic Iranian film in Tajikistan, a props manager concerned about a gun on set, an aspiring actress defying her mother, and a wealthy woman feeling trapped in her marriage.

Cast

  • Babak Karimi as Babak
  • Hasti Mohammai as Sara
  • Kibriyo Dilyobova as Donya
  • Bezhan Davlyatov as Bezhan

Release

Black Rabbit, White Rabbit had its world premiere at the 30th Busan International Film Festival in the "Visions – Asia" section on 21 September 2025.[5][6]

It was also selected to compete in the Official Competition section of the 2025 BFI London Film Festival for the best film award and had the screening on 13 October 2025,[7][8] and in the International Feature Competition of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival for Golden Hugo on 21 October 2025.[9][10]

It was presented in 'From The Festivals - 2025' section of the 56th International Film Festival of India in November 2025.[11]

It was selected to compete in the Asian Feature Film Competition of the 36th Singapore International Film Festival and had its Southeast Asian Premiere on 30 November 2025.[12][13]

It competed in the Red Sea: Competition strand at the Red Sea International Film Festival and had screening on 10 December 2025.[14][15]

The film was released on 24 September at the Vatan Cinema in Tajakistan, and it was selected for consideration as the Tajikistani entry for the Best International Feature Film at the 98th Academy Awards.[16]

Accolades

The film will compete for the Vision Awards at the 30th Busan International Film Festival.[17]

Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Busan International Film Festival 26 September 2025 International Film Festival of India-Vision Asia Award Black Rabbit, White Rabbit Won [18]
BFI London Film Festival 19 October 2025 Best Film Nominated [19]
Chicago International Film Festival 24 October 2025 Golden Hugo Nominated [20]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Black Rabbit, White Rabbit". DreamLab Films. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  2. ^ "Shahram Mokri's "Black Rabbit, White Rabbit" to premiere at Busan International Film Festival". Tehran Times. 19 August 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  3. ^ Georg Szalai (30 September 2025). "Oscars: Tajikistan Picks 'Black Rabbit, White Rabbit' as Best Int'l Feature Submission". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 30 September 2025.
  4. ^ Pond, Steve (24 October 2025). "Oscars International Category Sends 86 Films to Voters". TheWrap. Retrieved 25 October 2025.
  5. ^ "[BIFF Press Release] Announcing the 'Vision – Korea' and 'Vision – Asia' Selections of the 30th BIFF" (Press release). Busan International Film Festival. 19 August 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  6. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (19 August 2025). "Busan Film Festival Expands Vision Section, Launches Innovation Platform". Variety. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  7. ^ Boyce, Laurence (4 September 2025). "The BFI London Film Festival lifts the lid on the titles for its 69th edition". Cineuropa. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  8. ^ "Black Rabbit, White Rabbit". BFI London Film Festival. 3 September 2025. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  9. ^ "First Look at the 61st Chicago International Film Festival". Chicago International Film Festival. 12 September 2025. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  10. ^ Jeremy Kay (10 September 2025). "'Sound Of Falling', 'Sirât', 'La Grazia' among Chicago international competition picks". ScreenDaily. Retrieved 12 September 2025.
  11. ^ "From The Festivals - 2025". International Film Festival of India. 7 November 2025. Retrieved 8 November 2025.
  12. ^ "Black Rabbit, White Rabbit". Singapore International Film Festival. 23 October 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  13. ^ Ramachandran, Naman (23 October 2025). "Shu Qi's 'Girl' to Open Singapore Film Festival, Deepa Mehta and Youn Yuh-jung Receive Honors". Variety. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
  14. ^ "Black Rabbit, White Rabbit". Red Sea International Film Festival. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  15. ^ Salwa, Ola (6 November 2025). "The fifth Red Sea International Film Festival announces its full line-up". Cineuropa. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  16. ^ "«Таджикфильм» выдвигает на «Оскар» фильм иранского режиссёра" [Tajikfilm nominates Iranian director's film for Oscar]. pressa.tj (in Russian). 25 September 2025. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
  17. ^ Choi, Young-joo (19 August 2025). "아시아의 현재와 미래 이끌 감독의 23편, 부산서 만난다" [23 films by directors leading Asia's present and future will be presented in Busan]. Nocut News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  18. ^ Kim, Ji-hye (19 August 2025). "BIFF, '비전 - 한국, 아시아' 선정작 23편 공개…독립영화의 새로운 가능성" [BIFF unveils 23 films selected for its "Vision - Korea, Asia" program, showcasing new possibilities for independent films.]. SBS Entertainment News (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  19. ^ Ntim, Zac (3 September 2025). "BFI London Film Festival: Chloé Zhao's 'Hamnet' & Kate Moss Biopic 'Moss & Freud' Among Headline Titles — Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 9 September 2025.
  20. ^ "Black Rabbit, White Rabbit". Chicago International Film Festival. 18 September 2025. Retrieved 21 September 2025.
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