Afghan filmmaker Roya Sadat’s “A Letter To The President” won the Best Screenplay award at SAARC Film Festival in Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Sunday, July 7.

A Letter to the President, the 90-minute, full-length movie, took two years to complete.

The movie is about the miseries suffered by women in Afghanistan as well as about discrimination and violence against women in the country.

Starring Leena Alam, the move is written by Aziz Deldaar, produced by Roya Film House and co-produced by Kaboora Production.

The SAARC Film Festival has been held every year since 2011 and this is the ninth consecutive time that Sri Lanka is hosting this prestigious film festival.

The award was received by Afghanistan’s Ambassador in Sri Lanka, Mohammad Ashraf Haidari. 

Of the 34 films from eight SAARC countries, four were from Afghanistan, including two short and two feature films, of which A Letter to the President received the award. 

In total, 12 awards were handed out.

The following 12 awards were presented at the SAARC Film Awards 2019 on July 7, selected by a panel of jury members from non-SAARC member states: 

•    Best Feature Film

•    Best Director

•    Best Actor

•    Best Actress

•    Best Short Film

•    Best Screenplay

•    Best Cinematographer

•    Best Editor

•    Best Sound Designer

•    Best Original Score (Music Composer)

•    Special Jury Award No 1

•    Special Jury Award No 2