ROYA SADAT

Producer, Writer & Director
Roya Sadat is an internationally Admirable Afghan film Producer, Director and writer, she was the first woman director in the history of Afghanistan cinema in the post-Taliban era; she is funder of ROYA Film House and Herat International Women Film Festival. Through her films and company, her films won more the 50 awards. In 2017 she introduced one of the Ten Top re–thinker in the world by Foreign Policy’s -Washington DC for her amazing art which was under difficult circumstances to tell Afghan women stories. “Roya Sadat is the first woman director that her Film selected for the first Oscar country Pick for the best foreign feature film award on 2018”.She honored proud medal, hero of the battle of Maiwand (Malili) by decree of the president in 2015. Also she won alternative Oscar award from Foreign Ministry of Nederland- Holland in 2017, in 2018 she won International Women of Courage Award by state department of United Stated. And also she got number of Awards for her last film “A Letter to the President”. She has now 15 years of experience in producing, writing and directing acclaimed feature- and documentary films on women-human rights in Afghanistan, also she pioneered and was the main driving force behind the creation of TV Dramas in Afghanistan.

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Roya Sadat was born in Herat, Afghanistan in 1983, during the Soviet war in Afghanistan.

Roya Sadat is an award-winning female Afghan producer, Writer and -director who successfully brought touching stories to international festivals after the fall of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan. She is graduated from Law and Politics, University of Herat- Afghanistan and studied filmmaking at Asian Film Academy of South Korea in 2006. In 2003, she founded the first female Afghan film company ROYA FILM HOUSE. Also she founded the first International Women Film Festival in Afghanistan which is the only international film festival in regous (center and sought Asia) and a Book & Film Club.

She is one of the co-founder of RFH academy too.

(In 2003) she directed her first (52 min) multiple awards-winning feature film THREE DOTS, which she had written during the Taliban rule. She thus became a role-model female Afghan film producer and director, who successfully brought important and poignant human stories from Afghanistan to international audiences and open a good dissection between Afghan audience through her TV Dramas Since 2004 she has been invited to more than 60 international film festivals with ‘Three Dots’ and her second film ‘Playing the Taar’. In 2017 she directed her first full-length feature film ‘A Letter to the President’.

She has now 15 years of experience in producing, writing and directing acclaimed feature- documentary films, on women-human rights in Afghanistan,

She pioneered and was the main driving force behind the creation of TV Dramas in Afghanistan and she had made the first Afghan TV Drama for TOLO TV in 2007.

In 2007-2008 she directed 50 episodes of the first Afghan TV serial ‘The Security of This House’ and later three seasons of the most famous Afghan TV serials and TV drama,

Also she make short, documentary and Feature film, her last film “A Letter to the President” was the Afghanistan’s pick for OSCAR 2018.

Roya Sadat’s Filmography – 2019

Khat Sevom -TV Drama (Collaboration with Tolo TV) (2 Seasons – 24 Esp.) – 2018 & 2019 – Director
A letter to the president -Feature Film (85 MIN) – 2017 – Director &Producer
After Years of Struggle –Documentary – 2014 – Director &Writer
Bahesht Khamosh – TV Drama in a collaboration with TOLO TV – 2009 till 2013
The President Goes to Palace with his Bicycle (Documentary) – 2012 – Director & writer
After 35 Years – Documentary -2012 – Producer
Glasses Border -Documentary -2009 – Producer
Half Value Life (Documentary – 2009 – Producer
-PLAYING THE TAAR- Feature Film (45min) – 2008- Director &producer
The Calling (Documentary) – 2006 – Producer
The “Beautiful Beast!” – Video clip – 2005 – Director & writer
Every One Try (Documentary) – 2005 -Producer
Three Dots- Feature Film (52min) – 2003 – Director &producer

Awards:

In 2018 she won International Women of Courage Award by state department of United Stated

In 2017 she introduced one of the Ten re Top Thinker in the world by Foreign Policy’s -Washington DC for her amazing art which was under difficult circumstances to tell Afghan women stories. “Roya Sadat is the first woman Director that her Film selected for the First Oscar country Pick for the best foreign feature film award on 2018”

Also IN 2017 she won alternative Oscar award from Foreign Ministry of Nederland- Holland

2018 – Walaa Award for Playing The Taar

She honored proud medal, hero of the battle of Maiwand (Malili ) by decree of the president in 2015., in.And also she got number of Awards for her last film “A Letter to the President” like Golden Global Award of Malaysia and 4 main Award from France Vesol Film Festival 2018

Munchen International Film Festival new hope award.
She received the Bibi Khaddija Award from Women in Leadership and Business.
Malaysia International Film Festival & Malaysia Golden Global Awards , New Hope Award 2018
Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema PRIX DU JURY LUCENE STANDARD-2018
Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema PUBLIC MENTION AWARD -2018
Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema INTERNATIONAL JURY MENTON -2018
Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema INTERNATIONAL JURY SPECIAL MENTION-2018
LONDON AFGHAN FILM FESTIVAL Special Mention Awards Playing The Taar -2015
RUMAI Award (Best TV drama) BAHESTA KHAMOSH – 2010 – 2013 ( 3 season 65 Episode)
Seoul Korea Seoul drama international festival 2008 for (RAZ HAY EIN KHANA) TV DRAMA
UN, United Nations, Best Script ,Playing The Taar [Broken Hand Script]
Winner OF 6 (six) award categories from Tolo TV Film Festival – Kabul, Three Dots, 2006,2007
French Film Festival Nontc- Three Dots 2005
Best Director, Ravzana Film Festival – Kabul, Three Dots 2004

Member of International Jury

Chairperson of the jury in Indian language section Kolkata International Film Festival 2019
Chairperson of Netpac Jury in Vesoul film festival France- 2020
Malatya International Film Festival Turkey
2011 Third Eye international Film Festival Mumbai India 2011,
Human Rights International Film Festival Afghanistan 2011
International Human Rights film festival Kabul 2008
International Didar Film Festival Tajikistan 2008
2009,International Kabul Film Festival Afghanistan 2007
Afghan Film Festival, Castle – Germany 2006
Street Children Festival, Herat – Afghanistan

She Married with Aziz Deildar, Aziz is Lecturer at Kabul University and he’s also a writer and filmmaker. Roya have two children Arsalan and Awesta.

Now she try to make her next film and looking for producer, and working for the 6^th edition of Herat International Women’s Film Festival, also following with her company’s work

In Media

BBC

https://www.bbc.com/persian/afghanistan-55124046

Etilaat Roz

https://www.etilaatroz.com/112792/our-stories-are-voice-of-pain/

BBC

https://www.bbc.com/persian/afghanistan-43523517?ocid=socialflow_facebook

AFP

https://news.yahoo.com/voice-unknown-woman-afghan-filmmaker-roya-sadat-051628314.html

The New York Times

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/26/world/asia/afghanistan-woman-filmmaker.html?_r=0

Global Re Thinker Foreign Policy