Filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat escapes Afghanistan

Award-winning Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat has finally escaped Kabul along with her family, days after she told The Hollywood Reporter about her efforts to flee the country.

Sadat, who had bagged the top Directors’ Fortnight award in Cannes for her first feature, the rural Afghanistan-set Wolf and Sheep in 2016, made it out of Afghanistan today, The Hollywood Reporter reported Monday, citing a statement from her producer at Adomeit Film, Katja Adomeit.

“With the help of the French government and the help from people all around the world, Shahrbanoo made it after many days together with nine family members through the crowds and Taliban checkpoints into the airport, where French soldiers took care of her and her family,” said Adomeit.

“Communication with Shahrbanoo Sadat at the moment is difficult, but she has confirmed she is in Abu Dhabi soon boarding a plane to Europe," she added.

Afghan Film Head Sahraa Karima is another renowned local filmmaker who had fleed Kabul and is now residing in Ukrain — with assistance from the Slovakian, Turkish and Ukrainian governments.

Thousands of foreign and Afghan nationals — since the Taliban's lightning takeover of Afghanistan on August 15 — have been evacuated from the country, with Pakistan also operating special flights for repatriating its citizens and people of other nationalities.