Afghan director Sadat secures German backing for her romantic comedy “No Good Men.”
Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat has secured German financing for her upcoming romantic comedy “No Good Men,” marking a significant step forward for the project.
The film, set in a Kabul newsroom during Afghanistan’s democratic era before the Taliban regained control in 2021, will be produced by Berlin-based Amerikafilm alongside Denmark-Germany’s Adomeit Film, Paris’s La Fabrica Nocturna, and Norway’s Motlys.
The film tells the story of a young Afghan camerawoman, played by Ghawgha Taban, who falls for an older, married TV reporter after discovering her husband’s infidelity.
The romantic narrative unfolds amidst the backdrop of Kabul’s newsroom, reflecting the challenges and absurdities of life during that period.
Sadat, who fled Kabul with her family when the Taliban retook the city, remains focused on completing her fourth feature film.
She told Variety that he began working on the project with co-writer Anwar Hashimi before moving to Germany. The director describes “No Good Men” as both a romantic comedy and a period piece, reflecting on a time when Afghan women faced deep societal constraints despite the brief democratic experiment.
Set to be the third installment in a planned five-part series based on Hashimi’s autobiographical works, “No Good Men” follows Sadat’s previous successes, including “Wolf and Sheep” and “The Orphanage,” which both premiered at Cannes.
Now based in Hamburg, Sadat is finalizing financing for the €2.9 million film, with shooting scheduled to begin in late September in Germany.
Despite challenges in securing European backing, Sadat remains determined to tell a universal story of love, while also addressing the political and social complexities of Afghanistan.