A mysterious M.C. Escher-like thriller about reality and illusion from Iranian master Shahram Mokri (FISH & CAT, CARELESS CRIME)

Black Rabbit, White Rabbit is a 2025 mystery drama from acclaimed Iranian filmmaker Shahram Mokri, co-written with Nasim Ahmadpour and starring Babak Karimi, Hasti Mohammai, and Kibriyo Dilyobova. Known for his structurally complex, time-looping narratives, Mokri continues his exploration of nonlinear storytelling with a film that unfolds like a cinematic labyrinth. Built around interlocking storylines--a fatal gun deal, a film production in progress, and a woman confined within her home--the narrative evolves through repetition, mirrored identities, and uncanny coincidences, blurring the boundaries between reality, fiction, and the act of filmmaking itself.

Mokri first gained international recognition with Fish & Cat (2013), a single-take thriller celebrated for its fluid camera movement and cyclical structure, followed by Invasion (2017), which further developed his fascination with temporal dislocation and narrative recursion. His later film Careless Crime (2020) deepened these themes, intertwining past and present through a meta-cinematic reflection on a real-life historical tragedy. With Black Rabbit, White Rabbit, Mokri extends this body of work into even more abstract territory, employing doubles, doppelgängers, and symbolic objects--most notably a mysterious firearm--to create a shifting network of cause and effect that resists linear interpretation.

Premiering at the 30th Busan International Film Festival, where it received the Vision Asia Award, the film went on to screen at major festivals including BFI London, Chicago, and Singapore, further solidifying Mokri's reputation as one of contemporary cinema's most formally inventive directors. This U.S. release includes three rare early short films (The Dragonfly Storm, Limits of the Circle, and Ando-C), a new audio commentary, and a visual essay exploring the film's intricate design. Presented in Tajik and Russian with English subtitles and running 139 minutes, Black Rabbit, White Rabbit stands as a bold continuation of Mokri's singular cinematic language--an intellectually demanding, visually hypnotic meditation on time, perception, and the illusion of narrative certainty.

Bonus Materials

• 1st ever U.S. release
• Three ultra-rare early Mokri short films: 'The Dragonfly Storm' (Toofan-e Sanjaghak) (2002, 15 min.); 'Limits of the Circle' (Mahdoodeh-ye Dayereh) (2005, 15 min.); 'Ando-C' (2007, 15 min.). In Persian with English subtitles.
• New audio commentary by film programmer and critic Tori Potenza.
• New visual essay: “The Maze: Entrances and Exits in Black Rabbit, White Rabbit” (2026, 13 min.) by filmmaker and scholar Stephen Broomer.

 

Cast & Crew

Actors:

•       Babak Karimi
•       Hasti Mohammaï
•       Kibriyo Dilyobova
•       Bezhan Davlyatov

Director: Shahram Mokri

Additional Details

Label: Deaf Crocodile

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Language: Persian

Run Time: 139 mins

Region: 1

Release Date: 08/25/26

UPC: 850066568736