Afghan director Sadat’s rom-com that kicked off this year’s Berlinale, is a blood-sister to the cult classic Casablanca (1942). Its Bogart and Bergman stand-ins are united by war effort and professional duties, yet between them radiates a crystalline love that cuts through the cruelties of the world.

As thirty-year-old Naru steps into the TV studio, she is met with skeptical glances from the crew: can a woman actually be a cameraman? Facing sexism and bias permeating the culture and losing her faith in the opposite sex, she fights to end her failing marriage and look after her young son. Assigned to a new position in the news department, she begins working with the Don Juan-like reporter Qodrat, a man whose bad reputation precedes him in every corridor of the station. As the military conflict in Kabul escalates and the Taliban offensive intensifies, the forward-thinking Naru’s perspective begins to shift: could the title of the film be misleading?

The RIGA IFF has built a close collaboration with director Sadat. In 2016, the festival screened her debut film Wolf and Sheep (2016), followed by The Orphanage (2019). Three years ago, she served on the jury of the RIGA IFF Feature Film Competition. Her latest film carries velvety echoes of Nora Ephron’s romantic comedies – particularly When Harry Met Sally (1989). Sadat never turns her back to the social and political dimension and the realities of war. She draws on her experiences during the 2021 withdrawal of the US troops from Afghanistan where she was one of the last refugees to flee the American military outposts. Sadat wrote, directed, and stars in the lead role of the film, subtly untangling her personal story through the lenses of journalism, politics, and the emancipation of her people. By creating the first Afghan romantic comedy, Sadat is resurrecting a genre that has all the potential to change the world.