Camera operator Naru (played by Sadat herself) has given up on the men of Afghanistan. An incompetent husband, physical abuse as a child and everyday aggression – these are not only her experiences but also those of her female colleagues at the TV station, her girlfriends and the market women she interviews on Valentine’s Day for a TV feature. The women agree: there are no good men in Afghanistan. And yet an exception may exist. During a dangerous assignment, wearing a bulletproof vest and helmet, she meets fearless, mysterious journalist Qodrat – played by her artistic partner Anwar Hashimi. Soon, the two are inseparable – until the Taliban seize control.
Partly autobiographical, romantic in genre and devastating in outcome, Sadat’s latest production offers stories, images and characters that defy every cliché of Afghan cinema. Shot entirely outside the country, it conjures a sense of Kabul life that must exist, but has never before been seen on screen. To tell so dramatic a story with such lightness, humour and devotion is no small achievement.

Opening film of the IFFF Dortmund+Köln 2026