The first movie ever to be directed by a woman in Saudi Arabia, WADJDA tells the story of a young girl named Wadjda and her quest to purchase a bicycle by winning a school Quran memorization competition.  If the trailer above is any indication, the movie will be a funny and emotional look into women’s lives in a country where the topic is not very often broached in media, and seems to have a bright, witty young girl in the lead. In an interview with Al Jezeera, the director, Haifaa Al-Mansour, described her ability to explore women’s lives in Saudi Arabia, saying,
I really didn’t want people to say ‘Because she’s a woman, she’s only talking about woman’s issues.’ But when I did my documentary and it was about women, I was amazed about how it touched lots of women…It’s like an area that people don’t have a chance to get into, especially in Saudi Arabia. It’s difficult for a male filmmaker to break into this secluded world and have the same opportunities I had.
(via Jezebel)
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