Wadjda

Director: Haifaa al-Mansour

Waad Mohammed, Reem Abdullah, Abdulrahman al-Guhani

Wadjda is a sensitive, poignant film that highlights the invisibility of Saudi women through the story of the eponymous ten year old girl who just wants to buy a bicycle so she can race like, and against, the boys on the streets of Riyadh. It is also a film of firsts: it’s the first feature film shot entirely inside Saudi Arabia; the first ever directed by a Saudi woman and the first Saudi film entered into either the Oscars or BAFTAs. Since it’s release, the Saudi authorities have allowed cinema’s to open (there were none in 2012) and started to encourage filmmakers of both sexes. Wadjda stands as both a historic landmark and a cinematic benchmark. “This movie’s a nice little treasure”.