Shahrbanoo Sadat’s film “No Good Men” screens at Viennale

The film “No Good Men,” directed by Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat, was screened at the Viennale film festival in Austria. The work, which blends drama and romance, is set in Kabul shortly before the Taliban takeover.

The story follows Naru, a camera operator who resists the patriarchal constraints of her society, and Qodrat, a TV journalist who develops a connection with her. Actor Anwar Hashimi, who portrays Qodrat, stated during the festival that the film is intended to encourage nuanced thinking rather than categorizing men as simply “good or bad.” He noted the film was created in solidarity with Afghan women, who have lost their rights under Taliban rule.

Director Shahrbanoo Sadat, who was evacuated from Afghanistan in 2021 and currently resides in Germany, based the film on true events. The narrative also references the 2021 withdrawal of US troops and the subsequent chaos at Kabul airport.