What happens if a female camerawoman’s headscarf slips during an interview with a Taliban member? What do women say to the camera when they’re asked for their opinion on the street? How free was life before the radical Islamic Taliban took power five years ago? These are just some of the questions NO GOOD MEN explores.

‎‎

To commemorate the fall of Kabul five years ago, Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is hosting a special screening of the Berlinale opening film. The film by Afghan director Shahrbanoo Sadat – who also wrote the screenplay and plays the lead role – tells the story of a self-assured female camerawoman in Kabul immediately before the Taliban’s return and offers a poignant glimpse into the lives of men and women in Afghanistan shortly before the political upheaval in August 2021.

‎‎

The screening will be followed by a panel discussion on the state of press freedom in Afghanistan and the role of film and journalism in the daily lives of people in the country, moderated in German and English by Afghan journalist-in-exile Zainab Farahmand. Guests include director Shahrbanoo Sadat, Katja Heinemann from Reporters Without Borders, and Afghan journalist Haideh Faghiry.