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Director’s Profile

Roya Sadat is the first female Afghan director of the post-Taliban era. She co-founded one of the most important production houses in Afghanistan, Roya Film House, the RFH Academy, and the Herat International Women′s Film Festival, and was a pioneer and main driving force in the creation of famous TV dramas for the most important network in the region, TOLO TV.
With over 15 years of experience, her films have screened at Locarno Film Festival, Busan International Film Festival and Palm Springs International Film Festival. Her first feature, A Letter to the President (2017), was shortlisted for the Academy Awards 2018.
Due to her courageous work creating films on women and children′s human rights in Afghanistan from a human, subjective, and committed perspective, she received the Malalai Medal (by decree of the Afghan President), the International Women of Courage Award from the US State Department, and was featured as one of the world′s top ten thinkers by Foreign Policy Washington DC.

Synopsis

2023, Kabul. A women′s demonstration against the Taliban becomes chaos when women start to sing. Suraya (65) tells her granddaughter about Sima, her best friend in her youth, an amazing singer. Her story takes us back to 1979. Despite coming from opposite realities, Sima (22)-conservative, humble and Muslim-and Suraya (22)-communist, wealthy-have grown up in the same household and are as close as sisters. They respect each other in their disparities; after all, they are both firm defenders of women′s rights. At a gathering in honor of Suraya′s father, whose assassination sparked the revolution that took the Communist Party to power, Suraya is appointed leader of the Party′s Women′s Organization. Suraya strains to do her part, but her every step is met with resistance, both in the community and the Party. Following her father′s advice, Sima decides to marry her friend Wahab. Together, they start attending meetings of the Muslim Youth, who try to counter the actions of the Communist Party. Tensions rise within the government. Suraya helps Sima and Wahab to escape to the mountains with the mujahideen. But the army finds their camp. Wahab is killed and Sima is arrested and tortured. In the city, Suraya attempts to flee but is finally imprisoned too. Sima and Suraya reunite in prison and Sima dies in Suraya′s arms due to injuries from her torture. Back in 2023, Suraya and her granddaughter listen to a song by Sima. A wide shot of Suraya′s former house shows it has been taken by the Taliban.

Achievements

2024 Tokyo International Film Festival
2024 Red Sea Film Festival - Competition

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