No Good Men Lights the Curtain at 76th Berlinale with Emotional and Political Force
The 76th Berlin International Film Festival, set for February 12, 2026, will launch with a bold and emotionally charged statement: the world premiere of No Good Men, the third feature by acclaimed Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat. The film will debut as the Berlinale Special Gala at the iconic Berlinale Palast, marking a triumphant return for Sadat to the festival stage.
Described as a rousing blend of romance, humor, and political urgency, No Good Men continues Sadat’s tradition of illuminating the lives of Afghan women through deeply personal storytelling. Inspired by real events and drawn from the autobiographical works of writer and actor Anwar Hashimi, the film is the third in a planned five-part cinematic series tracing Hashimi’s life under shifting regimes.
At the heart of the story is Naru—played by Sadat herself—the only female camerawoman at Kabul TV, who has long dismissed the idea of “good men” in her society. But when she’s paired with investigative reporter Qodrat on an assignment just before the Taliban’s return to power, their charged dynamic forces her to rethink everything she believed. What unfolds is a narrative that’s as intimate as it is revolutionary.
Berlinale Director Tricia Tuttle praised the film as “a bold evolution of Sadat’s cinematic voice,” adding: “She combines raw political truth with warmth and wit, telling a story that’s not just urgent, but deeply human. That she undertook such risks to bring this film to life makes its premiere all the more significant.”
No Good Men builds on the success of Sadat’s earlier works—Wolf and Sheep (2016) and The Orphanage (2019)—both of which premiered at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, with the latter supported by the Berlinale World Cinema Fund. This new film cements her status as one of global cinema’s most vital storytellers.
Produced as a major international collaboration between Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, and Afghanistan, the film brings together powerhouse production houses including Adomeit Film, La Fabrica Nocturna Cinéma, Motlys, Amerikafilm, and Wolf Pictures. It also received significant backing from German public film funds such as MOIN, FFA, DFFF, Medienboard Berlin-Brandenburg, and others.
Filming took place across several German locations, underscoring the country’s growing role in supporting cross-cultural narratives. No Good Men will hit German theaters on August 27, 2026.
The Berlinale premiere will welcome the cast and crew for a star-studded gala, setting the tone for a festival centered on courage, diversity, and cinematic innovation.
