As I have finally finished with Day 1 at the Janadriyah culture festival (see image below) and before I embark on Day 2, I’m taking this opportunity to recommend a movie to anybody who is interested in learning about Saudi culture and everyday life here, or even would just like to see a delightful, informative and uplifting movie. It's significant because it’s the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and the first feature-length film made by a female Saudi director.
“Wadjda” is the story of an 11-year-old Saudi girl who longs for a bicycle, which of course girls don’t ride here. She saves every riyal she can and finally enters a Quran recitation competition – a very new kind of experience for her – in an attempt to win the prize money to buy a green bike she had seen at a local shop.
Not only is the movie excellent, but the special feature on the making of the film is, too, detailing the experiences of both the German and Saudi film crews and how they resolved their cultural differences and differing work styles. One person aptly summed it by referring to the challenges of producing a movie in a country where cinemas are forbidden.
We had wanted to see this movie when we were in the States in August but could never seem to make it up to the theater. I had been planning to order it from Amazon when this was loaned to us by a person who was given a signed copy by the director’s husband. I still may get a copy for myself, I liked the movie that much!
“’Wadjda’ is a 2012 Saudi Arabian-German film written and directed by Haifaa al-Mansour. It is the first feature film shot entirely in Saudi Arabia and is the first feature-length film made by a female Saudi director. It has won numerous awards at film festivals around the world. The film was selected as the Saudi Arabian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 86th Academy Awards, but it was not nominated. It was the first time Saudi Arabia submitted a film for the Best Foreign Language Oscar.
“According to the director Haifaa al-Mansour, it took five years to make ‘Wadjda.’ Most of the time was spent trying to find financial backing and getting filming permission, since she insisted on filming in Saudi Arabia for reasons of authenticity. She received backing from Rotana, the film production company of Prince Alwaleed bin Talal. However, she was very interested in finding a foreign co-producer because "in Saudi there are no movie theatres, there is no film industry to speak of and, therefore, little money for investment." After being chosen for a Sundance Institute writer's lab in Jordan, al-Mansour got in touch with the German production company Razor Film, which had previously produced films with Middle-Eastern topics (“Paradise Now” and “Waltz with Bashir”). …
“Al-Mansour says that the original version of her screenplay was much bleaker than the finished product: "I decided I didn't want the film to carry a slogan and scream, but just to create a story where people can laugh and cry a little." Al-Mansour based the character of Wadjda on one of her nieces and also on her own experiences when growing up. The main themes of the story are freedom, as represented by the bicycle, and the fear of emotional abandonment, as Wadjda's father wants to take a second wife who will provide him with a son.
“‘Wadjda’ was filmed on the streets of Riyadh, which often made it necessary for the director to work from the back of a van, as she could not publicly mix with the men in the crew. Often, she could only communicate via walkie-talkie and had to watch the actors on a monitor. This made it difficult to direct: "It made me realise the need to rehearse and to develop an understanding for each scene before we shot it." Waad Mohammed, who plays Wadjda, was a first time actress.” From Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wadjda
This was how my first day at Janadriyah ended:
