TEHRAN – Tajikistan has selected “Black Rabbit, White Rabbit,” the latest film by the well-known Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri, to represent the country in the best international feature film category at the Oscars 2026.

A mystery drama, the film is a co-production between Tajikistan and the United Arab Emirates. It was made with the support of Tajikfilm in Tajikistan and produced in Tajik and Persian, Honaronline reported.

The cast includes a group of prominent Tajik actors, namely Hasti Mohammaï, Kibriyo Dilyobova, and Bezhan Davlyatov, as well as the Iranian actor Babak Karimi. Mokri wrote the screenplay with Nasim Ahmadpour. The producer is Negar Eskandarfar.

The film recently won the International Film Festival of India – Vision Asian Award at the Busan International Film Festival. The movie next screens at the BFI London Film Festival and the Chicago International Film Festival.

“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 humor, and flashes of magic realism punctuating 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 fifth feature film. His second film “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.

Mokri is a founding member of the ISFA Cinema House Short Film Association. He has also served on the association's board of directors for three terms. In 2003, he was selected as the best young man in the country in the field of art by the National Youth Organization.

There have been 86 submissions to the 98th Academy Awards. The 15-film shortlist will be released on December 16, and the final five nominees will be announced on January 22, 2026. The Oscars will take place on March 15, 2026.

 Photo: A scene from “Black Rabbit, White Rabbit”

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