A deeply religious Muslim family in Berlin is threatened to be torn apart when a son’s secret relationship with a man is exposed in Hijamat, written and directed by Nader Saeivar (The Witness ) and produced and edited by Jafar Panahi. The creative duo co-wrote Cannes 2025 Palme d’Or winner It Was Just An Accident, which was nominated for two Oscars.
The film, featuring a big-name ensemble cast led by Kida Khodr Ramadan (4 Blocks, Asbestos) and also featuring Jael Cem Ilhan, Nicolette Krebitz, Aziz Capkurt, Moritz Bleibtreu and Nastassja Kinski, will world premiere at the 60th edition of the Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF) next month. It will screen in the Czech festival‘s Crystal Globe competition.
In Hijamat, Ilhan plays Kerem, whose secret relationship with a man is exposed. The news sends shockwaves through his family and local community. His brother Murad, portrayed by Ramadan, struggles to protect him, while long-buried secrets threaten to emerge and tear the family apart.
Murad is “shaken to the core when he learns that his younger brother is gay,” reads a synopsis. “Murad would like to support his brother, but their traditional Muslim family is against it. As a result, he finds himself subjected to pressures from all sides – from his father, who has close ties to the local imam, and from his brother’s circle of friends as well.”
