Saba Sahar, 44, is one of Afghanistan's first female film directors who has used her training as a police officer to produce critically acclaimed documentaries and movies.
She has also been a vocal critic of the Taliban and the dominant role conservative men have over social and political institutions.
Three gunmen opened fire at her in her vehicle on Tuesday.
She was accompanied by two bodyguards, a child and a driver at the time. The bodyguards were wounded while the child and driver were not harmed.
"She was in coma for almost 20 hours as she was hit with four bullets in the stomach ... now she's out of danger," said her husband, Emal Zaki.A police spokesman said the gunmen escaped and officers were investigating.