Just back from seeing movie you might have heard about, Wadjda, the first by a female director in Saudi Arabia and it's great. You may have seen the director on The Daily Show last month, talking about needing to shoot some of the street scenes with her giving directions--from a van, as she would not have been allowed doing that in the open. The film itself is a humanist, feminist, gem about a little girl's attempt to buy and ride a bike (very frowned on) and also her mom losing her husband to a second wife. And a final miracle--the Saudis have picked it as their entry for the Foreign Language Academy Award. It surely deserves a nomination. Trailer:
1 comment:
Well, It is a step forward, but re-considering the matter, we have to admit that the director Haifa is not "the usual Saudi woman". She is unveiled, married to an American diplomat, lives in Bahrain (within the security of US embassy where her husband works) and not in Saudi Arabia. Yet, this is great. I have always said that Saudi Arabia will be liberated by its women. Looking forward to see what will happen on 25 Oct. when some brave Saudi women will challenge the car driving taboo.
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