The premier of Roya Sadat’s new film ‘A Letter to the President’ was screened to an elite group of dignitaries, artists, movie enthusiasts and actors at a MOBY Group studio in Kabul on Sunday.

Guests attending the red carpet event raved about the movie and many said it was one of the best to come out of Afghanistan in years.

Enthusiasm ran high and many said they were sure Sadat’s movie would scoop many awards in the months to come.

“Even though we are in the middle of a war, at the same time we see brave faces and talented faces of Afghanistan who make us proud,” said Farkhunda Zahra Naderi, President Ashraf Ghani’s advisor for UN affairs.

“It is a completely professional film in terms of its structure and cinematography,” said the chairman of Afghan Film, Latif.

Directed by Roya Sadat, ‘A Letter to the President’ showcases the hardships of a woman in Afghanistan. Although Sunday’s screening was its official premiere, a sneak preview was shown to a select audience at Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland recently.

“Efforts had been made to produce this film according to international standards, but I don’t claim that it is like that, but behind the scenes, we had limited resources to make it,” said Sadat.

The 90 minute, full length movie took two years to complete.

An extract from the official website outlines the story and reads says it is about a woman named Soraya who is a public official and tries to enforce the law within the terrible situation of Afghanistan today.

“Her decision to save a young woman accused of adultery from the justice of a clan provokes a chain reaction, even in the family. Then things get worse when following an argument Soraya accidentally kills her husband, a violent man.

“She is then arrested and condemned to death. Only the president can save her: she has written a long letter to him which appears to be lost; with the chance that it may be read too late …”