Roya Film House (RFH)
A STORY COURAGE
CINEMA AND CULTURAL CHANGE
INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION
Roya Film House (RFH) was founded in 2003 to shine a light on the plight of women in Afghanistan and throughout the world through feature films, documentaries, and TV series. It was the first woman-run and woman-oriented film company established in Afghanistan, a country where women are severely oppressed, and women in film and media are persecuted. Working in film is particularly challenging for women in fundamentalist countries.
Roya Film House sisters Roya Sadat and Alka Sadat, Roya Film House (RFH) was born from a simple but courageous belief: that cinema could change society.
At a time when filmmaking was considered inappropriate and often shameful for women in Afghanistan, especially in the conservative city of Herat, Roya Sadat chose to challenge convention. She became one of Afghanistan's first female filmmakers and established the country's first woman-led and woman-focused film production company. Creating films was not simply an artistic choice; it was an act of resistance.
From its beginning, RFH set out to tell stories that had rarely been seen on screen: stories of women, families, justice, memory, and human dignity. Through feature films, documentaries, and television dramas, the company sought to amplify voices that had long been silenced and to present authentic Afghan stories to audiences around the world.
More importantly, RFH helped transform Afghan society's perception of women working in cinema. Through years of determination, professional excellence, and artistic integrity, Roya Sadat and her team demonstrated that women could lead productions, direct films, and build a respected creative industry. Their work inspired a new generation of Afghan women to enter filmmaking, television, journalism, and the arts.
As the company expanded, Aziz Deldar became one of its principal creative forces. A cinema scholar, screenwriter, filmmaker, and educator, Deldar has played a vital role in shaping RFH's artistic vision and storytelling. As one of the company's key creative leaders, his contributions have been central to many of RFH's most successful productions.
International Recognition
Over two decades, RFH has become one of Afghanistan's most internationally recognized independent production companies and received more than 60 international and national awards. Its feature film A Letter to the President (2017) was selected as Afghanistan's official submission for the Academy Awards in the Best International Feature Film category. The film received worldwide acclaim for its powerful portrayal of justice and women's rights. Among its internationally celebrated productions are:
Afghanistan Night Stories, which had its World Premiere at the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA).
The Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival officially selected the Sharp Edge of Peace.
Sima's Song, which premiered internationally and continued its journey through numerous prestigious film festivals after being completed outside Afghanistan following the Taliban's return to power.
As Variety wrote in its review:
"Its furious rallying cry... will resonate with audiences across the globe."
The review further praised the film for its "unmistakable urgency" born from the difficult political realities under which it was created.
Collectively, RFH's feature films and more than forty documentaries have received over fifty international awards and have screened at leading festivals worldwide.
Television That Reached a Nation
While RFH became known internationally through its films, its deepest connection with Afghan audiences came through television.
Recognizing television's power to reach millions of viewers, Roya Sadat pioneered dramatic television in Afghanistan.
Her landmark series The Security of This House (2007), produced for TOLO TV, became one of Afghanistan's first dramatic television series and introduced high-quality serialized storytelling to a national audience.
She later created Khat-e-Sawom (The Third Line), which ran for two successful seasons between 2018 and 2020. The series followed students from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds as they navigated education, identity, family expectations, and the social challenges facing contemporary Afghanistan.These productions made RFH a household name across the country, connecting directly with Afghan families through stories that reflected their everyday lives.
A Professional Creative Hub
Over the years, RFH developed into one of Afghanistan's leading independent production companies, bringing together local and international directors, producers, cinematographers, screenwriters, designers, editors, actors, composers, and technical professionals.
Its professional studios produced feature films, documentaries, television dramas, and commissioned projects for private organizations, government institutions, and international NGOs, while also mentoring and training many emerging Afghan filmmakers.
Cinema in Exile
The Taliban's return to power in 2021 abruptly halted Afghanistan's independent film industry.
Women-led businesses were closed, artistic institutions disappeared, and filmmaking became virtually impossible inside the country. Like many Afghan artists, the RFH team was forced into exile. Much of the company's archive and equipment remained in Kabul, making production and preservation of its work
extraordinarily difficult.
Despite these challenges, RFH continues its mission internationally—developing new projects, preserving Afghan stories, and ensuring that Afghanistan's cultural memory continues to reach audiences around the world.
Today, Roya Film House represents far more than a production company. It stands as a symbol of artistic resilience, cultural resistance, and the enduring belief that cinema can preserve history, challenge injustice, and give voice to those who refuse to be silenced.
AWARD & NOMANIETIONED
2017: World Primer Locarno- International Film Festival-
A Letter to the President
Swiss info
A Letter to the President
Huffpost Locarno
A Letter to the President
2017: Asian Primer Bussan- International Film Festival
A Letter to the President
Hallowed Reporter Busan
A Letter to the President
2017: Oscar Film Academy - Oscars: Afghanistan Selects
A Letter to the President
Variety
A Letter to the President
Women and Hollywood- foreign-language-Oscar-
A Letter to the President
2015: IDFA - Official Selection and world premier
Afghanistan NIGHT STORIES
2022: Emmeline Pankhurst Lifetime Achievements Awards-
Pankhurst Lifetime Achievements Awards
ALKA SADAT
2021 KIMDAEJUNG NOBEL PEACE FILM AWARD ROYA SADAT
2021: BBC-100 INSPIRING AND INFLUENTIAL WOMEN FROM AROUND THE WORLD FOR 100 WOMEN BBC WORLD
ROYA SADAT
2019: Best Screenplay- SAARC Film Festival in Colombo
A Letter to the President
Embassy-Colombo- Best Screen Play-AZIZ DELDAR
A Letter to the President
2019: Best Actress’ Award - Sinema Zetu- International Film Festival (SZIFF) Tanzania-
A Letter to the President
Zanzibar International Film Festival (ZIFF) the largest cultural events in East Africa. Best-Actress-Award-Lina Alam-
A Letter to the President
2019: Discoveries section awards-Special Mention- AFFBCN AWARDS –Asian Film Festival Barcelona- Spain Awards lists
A Letter to the President
2019: Best Feature Length Film Award- WALA International Film Festival
A Letter to the President
2019: Zinta Club Weinheim Award at the WALA International Film Festival
Wala FF
A Letter to the President
2018: INTERNATIONAL WOMEN OF COURAGE AWARD, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF STATE, ROYA SADAT
2018: SPECIAL PRIZE OF THE JURY, WALA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL,
A Letter to the President
2018: MUNICH INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL, ONE FUTURE PRIZE,
A Letter to the President
the Inter film Academy’s jury awarded the One Future Prize Munich Film Festival
A Letter to the President
2018: MALAYSIA INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL & MALAYSIA (GOLDEN GLOBAL), NEW HOPE AWARD,
A Letter to the President
“New Hope” Award- Malaysia International Film Festival (Golden Global) 2018
A Letter to the President
First Class.com Golden Global Award
A Letter to the President
Finas.gov. global-awards-celebrates
A Letter to the President
2018: Dutch Ministry Foreign Affairs - (FDutchMFA) - Alternative Oscar
A Letter to the President
4 Awards from Vesol- France
A Letter to the President
2018: PRIX DU JURY LUCEEN STANDERD- Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema-
A Letter to the President
2018: PUBLIC MENTION AWARD- Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
A Letter to the President
2018: INTERNATIONAL JURY MENTON- Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema-
A Letter to the President
2018: INTERNATIONAL JURY SPECIAL MENTION - Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema
A Letter to the President
2017: TOP 10 GLOBAL THINKERS OF THE WORLD, FOREIGN POLICY, WASHINGTON DC,
@ROYA SADAT
2017: ALTERNATIVE OSCAR AWARD, FOREIGN MINISTRY OF NEDERLAND,
2016: Remi Award (Best of Category), Remi Special Jury Awards, from 49th Annual Worldfest-‐‑Houston
Afghanistan Night Stories
2015: MAIWAND (MALILI) MEDAL, BY DECREE OF PRESIDENT2015: SPECIAL MENTION, LONDON AFGHAN FILM FESTIVAL,
2015: BIBI KHADDIJA AWARD, WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP AND BUSINESS, YEAR
2013: BEST SCREENPLY TV DRAMA RUMI AWARDS,
BEHESHT KHAMOSH
TO AZIZ DELDAR YEAR THE PROGRAM LAUNCHED IN LOSVEGAS SHOULD BE SOME LINK OF THE SHOW
2013: BEST TV DRAMA, RUMAI AWARD, LOS USA, .AFGHAN MEDIA
BEHESHT KHAMOSH
2012: FIRST FILM AWARD FOR AFGHAN FILM FESTIVAL–LONDON
PLAYING THE TAAR
2011: Public Liberties & Human Rights Award, Aljazeera International Documentary Film Festival
Half Value Life
2011: First Place, Documentaries, Women’s Voices Now Film Festival, Los Angeles
Half Value Life
2011: Human Rights Film Festival in Kabul
Half Value Life
2009: Best Film, Bilder vom Film Festival, Germany
Half Value Life
2009: Best Film, Egypt Film Festival
Half Value Life
2009: Best Director, Kabul Film Festival
A Woman Sings in the Desert
2008: SPECIAL PRIZE SEOUL DRAMA FESTIVAL,
SECRETS OF THIS HOUSE/RAAZ HAI EEN KHANA
2008: Best Director, Kabul International Film Festival
Half Value Life
2008: International Young Talent Competition — Generation DOK,
Half Value Life
Afghanistan Film Festival
Half Value Life
2008: Best Film, Bahrain Human Rights International Film Festival
1,2,3?
2007: UN-UNITED NATIONS, BEST SCRIPT, [BROKEN HAND SCRIPT] KABUL,
PLAYING THE TAAR
2007: Best Film, International Trevignano Film Festival, Italy
1,2,3?
2006: THREE DOTS: WIN SIX AWARDS (BEST DIRECTOR, BEST WIRITER, BEST CAMER MEN, BEST WRITER BEST MUSIC DIRECTOR). CATEGORIES, TOLO TV FILM FESTIVAL, AFGHNAISTAN.
2006: BEST SCRIPT, UNITED NATIONS, YEAR
PLAYING THE TAAR
2006: Peace Prize, Afghan Civil Society Organizations
First Number
2006: Best Film, International Almaty Film Festival, Kazakhstan
1,2,3?
2006: Best Camera Work, Kabul Film Festival
We Are Post-modernist
2005: SELECTION (THREE DOTS), FESTIVAL DES 3 CONTINENTS,
2004: BEST DIRECTOR RAVZANA FILM FESTIVAL, KABUL IN THE BELOW LINK SOME INFORMATION ABOUT THIS PRIZE
BBC.COM PERSION