The debut feature from Iranian German writer-director Behrooz Karamizade, the strikingly made Empty Nets (Toorhaye khali) follows the efforts of a would-be young fisherman Amir (newcomer Hamid Reza Abbasi) trying to make money from black- market fishing. He is a twenty-something genial urban dweller making a modest wage as a waiter but saving to afford the dowry for his well-to-do secret girlfriend Narges (Sadaf Asgari).But when he loses his job, the only thing he can find to make quick – if not easy -money is at a fishery far from home on the coast of the Caspian Sea, where workers are exploited (both physically and financially) by corrupt bosses. Handily Amir is an expert swimmer and when he finds out that the best way to earn big money is through illegal night-time underwater work to poach endangered wild sturgeons for their highly prized caviar, he seizes the opportunity.It is tough, exhausting and dangerous work and while he makes good money it also means he is away from the increasingly frustrated Narges who tries to stall for time as her parents plan an arranged marriage with a well-to-do suitor they have been waiting in the wings ready to romance their daughter. Forced to live on the fishery premises, Amir’s roommate, would-be writer Omid (Keyvan Mohamadi), despairs of opportunities in Iran and is saving to be smuggled across the dangerous waters, while Amir’s values are compromised by the murky illegal underworld.A gritty portrait of modern-day Iran which presents a society of challenging and limited opportunities, Empty Nets is subtle rather than bombastic in terms of political commentary and is blessed with engaging central performances as this young couple struggle against dominating forces… whether it be employers or parents. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film is an “impressive feature debut” and “is a gritty Iranian gut punch…” adding that “lead actor Abbasi powerfully conveys Amir’s gradual transformation.”Mark Adams