In this profession, you are blessed with meeting some of the biggest names and most talented actors and directors in world cinema – but few have been as inspiring to chat to than Saudi Arabian filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour, ahead of her debut feature Wadjda – out in cinemas on July 19.
Al-Mansour can boast being the first ever female director in Saudi, in a film that challenges tradition and culture – yet through the innocent eyes of a young girl, Wadjda. Wadjda’s desire to ride a bike to race her friends works by way of a metaphor of the struggles women have to face in certain parts of the world. Al-Mansour tells us of the deeper meaning behind the film, the difficulties faced in making this film – and what the reaction has been like from her fellow compatriots.
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