According to the film's public relations office, "Fish on a Hook" tells the life story of Dalir, a young Tajik boy who breaks free from "the hook of fate" and seeks a path to freedom amid the "turbulent waters of life".
This film was produced in 2025 as a joint effort by the iFilm Network (the overseas subsidiary of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting Corporation), the Cicap Accelerator Company (Iran), and the film production companies Dove and Tajikfilm (Tajikistan).
A brief summary of the film states: "You might assume that a fish on a hook is always the captive of a fisherman, completely unaware that the sea sometimes grants its "key of freedom" to a nameless and nondescript child.
The film was primarily shot in the pristine ,unique and picturesque natural locations of Tajikistan.The common Persian language, along with the incorporations of cultural elements and moral values - especially the family and its significance from the perspective of children and adolescents - forms the central axis of the film's identity.
Actors such as Khorshid Mustafayev, Sayara Safrova, and Abdullah Abdolrahimzadeh starred in this film. Along with a group of other Iranian and Tajik actors,they attended the unveiling ceremony of "Fish on a Hook" on Sunday evening, September 20.The event was held at the IRIB International Conference Center and was attended by the head of the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB), the head of the Persian Language and Literature Institute, the head of the IRIB World Service, the ambassador of the Republic of Tajikistan to Tehran, as well as numerous Iranian cinema and television artists, managers and employees of the national media, and representatives from various media outlets.
The behind-the-scenes team also includes a group of prominent figures and activists from Iranian and Tajik cinema: Ehsan Kaveh, Hamidreza Rouhani, and Hossein Hamedanizadeh (senior producers); Valery Akhudov (art director); Andrey Fedotov (director of photography); Emad Khodabakhsh (editor); Fardin Khalatbari (musician); Arash Ghasemi (sound engineer);Lotflo Niamatov (set and decor designer); Manijeh Kholova (make-up artist); Fereydoun Mozaffarzadeh (set manager); Tahmineh Askari (special effects supervisor); Fatemeh Javahersaz (international affairs and marketing); and Shayda Eslami (media consultant).
The 37th International Children and Youth Film Festival, chaired by Hamed Jafari, will be held in Isfahan from October 12 to 16, 2025.The festival will feature three main sections: national ( including feature films, short films, and animation), international, and special. "Fish on a Hook" will compete in the International Competition section alongside eight foreign feature films and three selected films from Iran aiming to captivate both the jury and young audiences.
M.Derakhshandeh - ahmad shirzadian
