Shahrbanoo Sadat, born 1991, is an Afghan filmmaker and screenwriter. She began in documentary before moving into fiction and has become one of the most distinctive voices in contemporary Afghan cinema. Her debut feature, "Wolf and Sheep", premiered at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes and won the Art Cinema Award. It was followed by "The Orphanage", which also screened in Cannes. Most recently, her film "No Good Men" opened the Berlin International Film Festival.
In episode 9 of Take 2 – Stories of Failure, we speak with Shahrbanoo Sadat about displacement, coincidence, and endurance. She talks about growing up between Iran and Afghanistan, about feeling both inside and outside at the same time, and about the unexpected chain of events that led her to cinema in the first place. We discuss the long and deeply personal journey behind No Good Men — a project that accompanied her for years. She reflects on why she ultimately decided to take on the lead role herself, how necessity turned into artistic choice, and how stepping in front of the camera shifted her understanding of authorship, vulnerability, and control. It is a conversation about persistence, risk, and the quiet, stubborn belief in one’s own voice.