“No Good Men” to Open Berlinale 2026

In Film & Series Sunday, 25/01/2026

Claudia Moras

Claudia Moras

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The Berlinale will open its 76th edition on February 12, 2026, with the world premiere of No Good Men, the third feature by Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat, one of the most distinctive and committed voices in contemporary cinema. The screening will take place at the Berlinale Palast as a Berlinale Special Gala, attended by the cast and crew.

Festival director Tricia Tuttle underlined the symbolic and political weight of this choice: with No Good Men, Sadat fulfills the promise of her first two features, once again placing Afghan women’s lives at the center—this time weaving romance and subtle humor into a rousingly political story. The fact that the film is based on real events, and that its making involved considerable personal risk for the director, further enhances its significance as the Opening Gala film.

The film continues the authorial journey Sadat began with Wolf and Sheep (2016) and Parwareshgah (The Orphanage) (2019), both screened at Cannes’ Directors’ Fortnight, with The Orphanage supported by the Berlinale World Cinema Fund. In No Good Men, Sadat once again takes on multiple roles as director, writer, and lead actor, crafting a work that moves fluidly between the intimate and the political.

76 Berlinale

The story follows Naru, the only female camera operator at Kabul TV, who is convinced that there are no good men in Afghanistan. But when reporter Qodrat takes her on an assignment shortly before the Taliban’s return, sparks fly, prompting her to question that belief. Drawing from her own life experience, Sadat reflects on growing up in a deeply patriarchal society and discovering that other realities do exist. Her aim is explicit: to offer hope to young women and an alternative example to young men.

No Good Men is also the third installment in a planned cycle of five films based on the autobiographical writings of author and actor Anwar Hashimi, who stars alongside Sadat.

The film is an international co-production between Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, and Afghanistan, produced by Adomeit Film, La Fabrica Nocturna Cinéma, Motlys, Amerikafilm, and Wolf Pictures. It has received extensive German public funding, and filming took place entirely across several locations in Germany.

The German theatrical release is scheduled for August 27, 2026. With No Good Men, Berlinale 2026 opens by championing a cinema that confronts the political present with clarity while affirming the power of personal storytelling as a form of resistance.

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Anwar HashimiNo Good MenShahrbanoo SadatTricia Tuttle

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