Shahrbanoo Sadat’s No Good Men opens Berlinale 2026 among strong HBF and CineMart lineup

With the dust still settling on IFFR 2026, attention now turns to the Berlinale, which opens with the world premiere of Shahrbanoo Sadat’s No Good Men, one of several films and projects across the programme supported by the Hubert Bals Fund and CineMart.

No Good Men by Shahrbanoo Sadat (Germany, France, Norway, Denmark, Afghanistan) – HBF Development, CineMart Selection 2021

The Berlinale 2026 opens with the world premiere of the HBF and CineMart-supported No Good Men by award-winning Afghan filmmaker Shahrbanoo Sadat. Sadat continues her vital work spotlighting Afghan women’s lives following her Displacement Film Fund-supported project Super Afghan Gym, which had its world premiere at IFFR 2026.

“Naru, the only camerawoman at Kabul TV, is convinced there are no good men in Afghanistan. But when a reporter takes her on an assignment just before the Taliban’s return, sparks fly between them – and she begins to question this belief.”

Panorama

Narciso by Marcelo Martinessi (Paraguay, Germany, Uruguay, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, France) – HBF Development

Set in Paraguay during a time of political tension, Narciso follows a charismatic musician who becomes a symbol of freedom. The project was supported by the HBF Development scheme in 2020 and is a co-production between Paraguay, Germany, Uruguay, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, and France.

“Paraguay, 1959. The charismatic Narciso returns from Buenos Aires with rock ‘n’ roll in his veins. Under the suffocating military dictatorship, he becomes a music sensation and a symbol of freedom while the regime consolidates its power.”

Only Rebels Win by Danielle Arbid (France, Lebanon, Qatar) – HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production Support

Starring Palestinian actress Hiam Abbas (who was at IFFR 2026 for a Big Talk and to present Palestine 36, The Arab, IFFR 2026), Only Rebels Win is an unexpected love story supported by HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production Support in 2024.

“Suzanne and Osmane meet in crisis-ridden Beirut. Osmane is a young Sudanese man without papers, searching for a better future; Suzanne is a widow with Palestinian roots more than twice his age. Against all odds, they fall in love.”

Se eu fosse vivo… vivia (If I Were Alive) by André Novais Oliveira (Brazil) – HBF Development

Brazilian filmmaker André Novais Oliveira presents the story of a charismatic and gentle couple whose shared life is shaped by time, love, and uncertainty. The project was supported by the HBF development scheme in 2020.

“Gilberto and Jacira promised to grow old together – for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health. Till death them do part.”

Perspectives

Nosso segredo by Grace Passô (Brazil, Portugal) – HBF Development, CineMart Selection 2022

Nosso segredo is the feature debut of Grace Passô, after a distinguished career acting in film and theatre. The film is the story of a Black Brazilian family in the city of Belo Horizonte trying to rebuild their home after a recent loss. 

“A family drifts through their home in silence, struggling to rebuild their lives after a recent loss. Each mourns alone, until the youngest child reveals a secret that enables them to realise that they must come together with love and courage to defy grief.”

Forum Expanded

Uchronia by Fil Ieropoulos (Greece, Netherlands) – Darkroom Official Selection 2026

Fil Ieropoulos’s (Avant-Drag! IFFR 2024) hybrid feature Uchronia invokes the wild and restless spirit of symbolist poet Arthur Rimbaud, was selected for Darkroom at IFFR 2026.

“Arthur Rimbaud’s ghost wanders through history, meeting revolutionary figures such as Emma Goldman, David Wojnarowicz and Marsha P. Johnson. A layered collage of encounters questioning identity, revolution and the role of the artistic avant-garde.”

Generation 14plus

Quatro Meninas by Karen Suzane (Brazil, Netherlands)

A tale of freedom, identity, and desire that challenges established social structures, set in colonial Brazil. A Brazilian–Dutch co-production, the project was supported by the HBF Development scheme in 2021 and later received HBF+Europe: Minority Co-production Support in 2023.

“Four enslaved girls dream of freedom. When a turn of events puts their lives at risk, they decide to run away. Their mistresses discover the plan – and to the girls’ surprise insist on going with them.”

Co-production market selections

Two additional feature film projects continue their trajectory from CineMart 2026 to the Berlinale Co-Production Market as part of the Rotterdam–Berlinale Express. Beirut Baby by Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreigeand The Dispute by Andrea Ellsworth and Kasey Elise Walker and  produced by Riley Keough’s US-based production company Felix Culpa.