“I Speak with Him Every Day”: Nader Saeivar on His New Film and Jafar Panahi’s Absence at Karlovy Vary

According to CinemaDrame News Agency, the red carpet and world premiere of the dramatic feature Hijamat (Cupping) will be a bittersweet moment for Iranian writer-director Nader Saeivar (director of The Witness, Endless, and Namour). Shot in Berlin, the film was edited and produced by his longtime friend and creative collaborator, Jafar Panahi. The filmmaking duo recently shared the Palme d’Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival for co-writing Just a Coincidence. However, only Saeivar will attend the premiere of Hijamat on Wednesday, July 8, where the film competes in the main Crystal Globe Competition at the 60th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival.

Saeivar left Iran for Berlin midway through the filming of Just a Coincidence, making Hijamat his first feature length film produced entirely abroad. Karlovy Vary organizers had hoped Panahi would join the film’s delegation. However, the filmmaker returned to Iran following an Oscar campaign for Just a Coincidence, where authorities recently confiscated his passport. He now faces a new prison sentence under charges of “propaganda against the regime.”

Plot and Symbolism of Hijamat

In Hijamat, Kida Khodr Ramadan stars as Murad, a man who scrambles to protect his younger brother, Kerem (played by Jael Cem Ilhan), upon discovering his alternative lifestyle. Long-buried secrets quickly unravel, pushing this religious Muslim family in Berlin to the brink of collapse. The film also features Jasna Fritzi Bauer, Aziz Çapkurt, Moritz Bleibtreu, and Nastassja Kinski.

The title is derived from the traditional therapeutic practice of hijamat, or wet cupping, which involves drawing a small amount of blood from the body to relieve pain and detoxify. Saeivar places the concept of mental detoxification at the core of the film, explaining his motivation:

“I believe we must truly confront the issues that we have built like a wall around ourselves. Without doing so, we cannot change any political issue. It is exactly like that dirty blood on the back of the body in cupping; if we do not get rid of it and face it, nothing will change.”

A Reflection of Personal Transformation

The filmmaker notes that Hijamat reflects his own inner evolution:

“My three previous films were about social issues and the struggles of the people. But for this film, I shifted my focus toward the root of these problems. In fact, this film resembles my own life story at present. Moving to Berlin helped me reflect on myself and my inner emotions. When I relocated from Iran to Berlin after 50 years, I suddenly realized that all those false beliefs I held collapsed overnight. I realized I was wasting my energy.”

Recalling his childhood during the Iran-Iraq War, he says:

“In the 1980s, we believed in Iran that this eight-year war was a necessity and that we had to fight and martyrdom for our beliefs. I was a child and I believed in this fervently. I wished to grow up faster so I could go to war. Now, imagine how I felt when I later found out that the entire war was for the political interests of a few? The fear of questioning beliefs is as much an obstacle to change as propaganda itself.”

Although the narrative unfolds within Berlin’s Turkish community, Saeivar emphasizes that its themes are universal:

“In the East, this wall around us is shaped by religion and strict beliefs, but in the West, this wall is built out of memories of the past. The Eastern man breaks under the weight of religion and dogmatic beliefs, while the Western man is suffocated by the recollection of a glorious past. Until you lift this burden off your shoulders, you will never attain true freedom. This is why I believe everyone needs hijamat.”

Casting and Jafar Panahi’s Absence

Regarding the casting of Kida Khodr Ramadan in the leading role, Saeivar says:

“He is very well-known in Germany and within Berlin’s Arab and Turkish communities. We have a Persian proverb that says: ‘If you want to take over a village, you must see the headman (Kadkhoda) first.’ Kida is like that headman. I thought if I wanted to access this community, it would be better for him to speak, not me. He was like a brother to me and is an actor who plays with his heart. He reminds me of the best work of the French actor Jean Reno.”

He also notes that when Jafar Panahi traveled to Berlin to edit the film, he was deeply impressed by Ramadan’s performance and praised the casting choice.

Nevertheless, the shadow of Panahi’s absence hangs heavily over the film’s premiere in Karlovy Vary. Saeivar shares:

“Unfortunately, he will not be there because he cannot leave Iran. But we speak every single day—at least an hour a day. In Iran, he is heavily entangled in legal issues, going to court, and meeting with lawyers. Instead of spending his time on a new project, he has to exhaust all his energy on these matters. Yet, the bond between us remains unbreakable. When I and several colleagues on Just a Coincidence were invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Panahi was the first person to call and congratulate me. Whenever a new idea crosses my mind, Jafar Panahi is always the first person I talk to.”