Tajikistan Throws a Curveball at the Oscars with ‘Black Rabbit, White Rabbit’ — What the Hell Is This Movie?
Added on September 30, 2025 inMovie News Cards
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Ever wonder if the cosmos conspires to make films as enigmatic as the stars themselves? Well, with the mystery drama Black Rabbit, White Rabbit landing as Tajikistan’s hopeful contender for the Oscars’ best international feature, maybe it does. Iranian auteur Shahram Mokri—who’s no stranger to bending cinematic time and space—delivers a puzzle packed with suspicious props, audacious auditions, and, naturally, a sprinkle of rabbits, all weaving through tales as beguiling as a Mercury retrograde mishap. This joint Tajik-UAE production, filled with local talent and Persian flavors, has already snagged accolades from Busan to London. So, as the 98th Oscars approach on March 15, one has to ask: Could this meta-mystery break through Tajikistan’s never-yet-nominated streak—and are the stars aligned for a cinematic Rabbit’s foot of good luck? Dive into this magical realism dance with Mokri’s bold playfulness and see for yourself. LEARN MORE
Black Rabbit, White Rabbit, a mystery drama by Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri (Fish & Cat), has been selected to represent the country of Tajikistan in the best international feature film category at the Oscars.
The news follows the film’s International Film Festival of India – Vision Asian Award honor at the Busan International Film Festival. The movie next screens at the BFI London Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival.
The film, a co-production between Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates, was made with the support of Tajikfilm in Tajikistan and produced in Tajik and Persian. The cast includes a group of prominent Tajik actors, namely Babak Karimi, Hasti Mohammaï, Kibriyo Dilyobova, and Bezhan Davlyatov. Mokri wrote the screenplay with Nasim Ahmadpour. The producer is Negar Eskandarfar.
“A suspicious film prop, a mysterious audition, a conspiratorial road incident and multiple rabbits are woven together in this bold and beguiling drama from Tajikistan,” reads a synopsis of the movie. “A film armorer suspects a fake firearm is real. An actor arrives on set demanding a role. A car crash victim fears her accident was deliberate. Three seemingly disparate stories weave into an enigmatic whole, with flowing, expertly choreographed takes, no small amount of droll humour and flashes of magic realism punctuating Iranian director Shahram Mokri’s playful, subtly provocative meta-mystery.”
The DreamLab Films production is the fourth movie that Tajikistan has submitted for the international Oscar race. The Central Asian country has never been nominated.
Black Rabbit, White Rabbit is Mokri’s fourth feature film. His feature debut Fish & Cat (2013) won a special award in the Orizzonti (Horizons) section at the Venice Film Festival. The director went on to direct Invasion (2017), which screened at the Berlin International Film Festival, followed by Careless Crime (2020), which screened at Venice and won the jury prize at the Chicago International Film Festival.
The 98th Oscars take place Sunday, March 15.
Check out a trailer for Black Rabbit, White Rabbit below.
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