Behrooz Karamizade

Behrooz Karamizade is a German Iranian filmmaker. He was born in Ahwaz (Iran) in 1978. In 1986 his family emigrated to the former Soviet Union and since 1985 he is living in Germany. After finishing school, he was assisting the photographer Gerhard Kley for two years. After spending some time abroad in Iran and China, he started his academic studies at Art Academy Kassel in the field of Visual Communication specializing in Film and Television.

He graduated from his course with distinction and got the status "Master Student”. Among his professors Yana Drouz and David Safarian at the film school, Behrooz Karamizade was influenced by Thomas Mauch, who was the cameraman of FITZCARRALDO and AGUIRRE by Werner Herzog.

Behrooz Karamizade directed several short films which participated in over 200 film festivals and won several prizes, including International Filmfestival Rotterdam, Kurzfilmtagen Oberhausen and Montreal World Film Festival. His graduation film BAHAR IN WONDERLAND participated in over 150 film festivals, won 20 prizes like the GERMAN HUMAN RIGHTS FILM PRIZE 2014 and was broadcasted on ARTE. From 2015 - 2017 he worked as a lecturer at the Art Academy Kassel in the Department Film and TV.

In addition to his works as a director, he has functioned as a cameraman and editor on numerous award-winning short films and documentaries. Recently, Aliaksei Paluyan's 30-minute short film LAKE OF HAPPINESS, for which he did the camera, was qualified for the 2021 OSCARS and was a candidate for the EUROPEAN FILM AWARD 2020. Furthermore, the film won numerous prizes and was screened on many international film festivals.

Behrooz Karamizade is currently preparing his debut feature film EMPTY NETS, which will be shot in Iran. The project is a co-production between LPP Film, BASIS BERLIN and arte/ZDF. It is supported by the KURATORIUM JUNGER DEUTSCHER FILM and HESSENFILM UND MEDIEN, among others. The screenplay of EMPTY NETS was awarded the German Screenplay Award 2021. In 2023, the film took part in the main competition at Karlovy Vary, where it received the Special Award. At the Munich Film Festival, EMPTY NETS received the award for Best Production.

Together with the filmmakers Jörn Möllenkamp, Giorgi Abashishvili and Aliaksei Paluyan, he founded the production company Living Pictures Production GbR. The credo of LPP is to produce international documentary and fiction films of high artistic value. The documentary COURAGE, produced by LPP, celebrates its world premiere at the 71st Berlinale.