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Afghan Filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat Opens Berlinale With Kabul-Set Rom-Com 'No Good Men'

She positions the film as a counterweight to grim depictions of Afghanistan.

Guests pose for photographers at the opening ceremony red carpet of the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber).
Review: No Good Men
Director Shahrbanoo Sadat speaks during a press conference for the movie 'No Good Men' at the 76th Berlinale International Film Festival in Berlin, Germany, February 12, 2026. REUTERS/Nadja Wohlleben
Tricia Tuttle, director of the Berlin Film Festival, poses for photographers at the opening ceremony red carpet of the International Film Festival, Berlinale, in Berlin, Friday, Jan. 1, 2021. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber).

Overview

  • The movie launches the 76th Berlin Film Festival on Feb. 12 in Berlin.
  • The story centers on a Kabul TV camerawoman balancing a custody fight and a workplace romance set just before the 2021 fall of the city.
  • Sadat directs and stars as Naru after the original lead actor withdrew and no replacement was secured.
  • Shot entirely in Germany, the film is the third entry in a planned five-part series drawn from co-star Anwar Hashmi’s unpublished manuscript and is lead-produced by Adomeit Film.
  • The film includes elements rare in Afghan cinema, such as an onscreen kiss and a sex toy, and Sadat says viewers in Afghanistan will likely watch via pirated online copies given current restrictions.