Wadjda

2013 • 97 minutes

About this movie

To shoot a film on location in a country where cinemas themselves have been banned for over thirty years is an achievement for any director. When that filmmaker also happens to be a woman, in a country where it is illegal for women to drive or vote, makes Haifaa Al Mansour's accomplishment with her debut feature Wadjda all the more impressive. Most remarkably of all, it's a masterful film filled with humour, emotion and humanism. Wadjda is a 10-year-old girl living in a suburb of Riyadh, the capital of Saudi Arabia. Although she lives in a conservative world, Wadjda is fun loving, entrepreneurial and rebellious. She's also determined to fight for her dreams. Wadjda lives at home with her parents, who are loving if a little distracted. Her father isn't around much, and her mother is convinced he's busy looking for a second wife. After a fight with her friend Abdullah, a neighbourhood boy she shouldn't be playing with, Wadjda sees a beautiful green bicycle for sale. She wants the bicycle desperately so that she can beat Abdullah in a race. But Wadjda's mother won't allow it, fearing repercussions from a society that sees bicycles as dangerous to a girl's virtue. So Wadjda decides to try and raise the money herself. 2012 Razor Film Produktion GmbH, High Look Group, Rotana Studios. All Rights Reserved.