No Good Men

In the organizer's words:

No Good Men - Repetition of the opening film
Shahrbanoo Sadat
DE / FR / NO / DK / AF | 2026 | Feature film | 103'

This year's opening film deals with a topic that has long preoccupied the festival: Since the withdrawal of the Taliban in 2001 and the opening up of living spaces for women, we have repeatedly worked with filmmakers from Afghanistan. That is why we are particularly pleased to be able to honor one of Afghanistan's most important directors this year: Shahrbanoo Sadat. In No Good Men, which opened this year's Berlinale, she not only shakes up gender roles, but also our perception of Afghan women - and men.

With great lightness, humor and dedication, the film tells a love story shortly before the so-called fall of Kabul in the summer of 2021. Naru (played by Sadat herself) fights her way into a job as a camerawoman at Kabul's most important TV station. Disillusioned by her incompetent husband, who cares neither for her nor their son, she has closed her mind to the men of her patriarchal country. She is all the more surprised when her work colleague Qodrat publicly praises her professional commitment in a team meeting. After a short time, the two are inseparable - until the Taliban advance.

All information about the International Women's Film Festival Dortmund+Cologne can be found at frauenfilmfest.com and on our social media channels Facebook and Instagram.