The director of the award winning Wadjda, Haifaa Al-Mansour, is not only Saudi Arabia’s first female director, she’s also the first person to shoot an entire film in her homeland. After studying at the American University in Cairo, Al-Masnou returned to Saudi Arabia to work in communications at a large oil company. Frustrated by the restrictions placed on her as a woman, she began making short films documenting life as a woman in Saudi Arabia. Ten years later and with the financial backing of one of Saudi Arabia’s more liberal Princes, she directed Wadjda via walkie talkie from the back of a van, as she was forbidden to mix with the men in her crew. The result is captivating, and Wadjda is my first highlight of the week.
The director of the award winning Wadjda, Haifaa Al-Mansour, is not only Saudi Arabia’s first female director, she’s also the first person to shoot an entire film in her homeland. After studying at the American University in Cairo, Al-Masnou returned to Saudi Arabia to work in communications at a large oil company. Frustrated by the restrictions placed on her as a woman, she began making short films documenting life as a woman in Saudi Arabia. Ten years later and with the financial backing of one of Saudi Arabia’s more liberal Princes, she directed Wadjda via walkie talkie from the back of a van, as she was forbidden to mix with the men in her crew. The result is captivating, and Wadjda is my first highlight of the week.
Monday 28th September, 8.30pm… Wadjda
This beautiful, simple story from filmmaker Haifaa Al-Mansour tells the story of a ten year old Saudi Arabian girl called Wadjda (Waad Mohammed) who lives in Riyadh and wants to buy a green bicycle. It doesn’t sounds like a big deal, but a female riding a bicycle at that time was considering scandalous in Saudi Arabia, and much to her mother’s distress, the threat of disgrace doesn’t stop our feisty young heroine. Al-Masnou was determined to use Saudi Arabian actresses in her film, (even though there are very few actresses in Saudi Arabia and no cinemas) and she’s found a delightful talent in the young Waad Mohammed. Only eleven years old when filming started, Mohammed’s conservative, middle-class family allowed her to take part in the film as she’s not yet a woman. However, it’s been reported when she turns 16, her parents expect to take up a more respectable profession. Al-Masnou does a wonderful job of showing us a glimpse of how Saudi women express their individuality living under such restrictive laws. Like her young protagonist, Al-Masnou is also eager to break down the taboos of her country where women are not allowed to drive, show their faces in public, or travel out of the country without the permission of their male guardian. In this film, the bike represents so many things; freedom, movement, choice and progression, but most importantly, hope. Wadjda was launched at the 2012 Venice Film Festival and in April 2013, women in Saudi Arabia were given the right to ride a bicycle in public.
Saturday 3rd October, 8.30pm … 1000 Times Goodnight
In this Norwegian drama a photojournalist tries to reconcile her dangerous job and her family life. Juliette Binoche plays Rebecca, a war photographer who regularly leaves her husband (Game of Thrones' Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) and two daughters to photograph atrocities in some of the worlds most war torn countries. A passionate person who believes her images can attract the world's attention and hopefully save lives, is at that point in her career where she’s better at surviving in a war zone than she is at home. The film starts off in breathtaking fashion as Rebecca captures a young woman being prepared to sacrifice herself as a suicide bomber. She then follows her to her destination, and is injured in the resulting carnage. When she returns home, her husband offers her an ultimatum – her family or her job. Erik Poppe, a war photographer who in the 1980s worked in the Middle East, Central America, Angola and Mozambique, directs this film that’s based on his own experiences. After winning numerous awards, Poppe decided in his late twenties to head to film school as he too was more comfortable in the field than at home with his two kids. The film was shot in Kabul, Kenya, Morocco and Ireland. Keep an eye out for U2’s Larry Mullen Jr. in a rare acting gig, doing a nice job as a close friend of Rebecca’s family.
Thursday 1st October, 8.30pm … Desert Runners
As a novice trail runner preparing for my first trail marathon, I was absolutely transfixed by director Jennifer Steinman’s documentary about a group of amateur athletes attempting to complete all four RacingThePlanet ultramarathons in one year to become a Grand Slam member. 42 km through the beautiful Tawawera region suddenly didn’t seem so daunting after watching this eclectic group of people run 250km over 4-5 days in some of the most hostile places on earth. The first of these self supported ultramarathons travels across the driest desert on earth, the Atacama desert in Chile. The windiest desert, the Gobi desert in China and the hottest desert, the Sahara desert in Egypt follow this. The series is capped off with a trip to Antarctica - the coldest desert on earth. Steinman got the idea for the documentary after hearing 56 year old Irishman Dave O’Brien talk about a 250km race he’d done previously in the Sahara. When he mentioned he was going to take a stab at the Grand Slam, Steinman was intriguing by how seemingly ordinary people believed they could do what others might think of as impossible. Originally, Steinman was just going to follow Dave on his adventure, but when he turned up to the first ultra, Dave told Steinman that he’d hardly done any training. Terrified he wouldn’t make it, Steiman told her cameraman to shoot everyone! It didn’t take long to find more characters with compelling stories, such as Ricky Paug, a former pro American baseball player turned London-based consultant and Aussie law student Samantha Gash, the youngest ever runner to attempt the slam. The final main character here is English ex-military security specialist Tremaine Kent, a father of two whose running to deal with the loss of his wife to cancer within the last year earlier. Lisa Tamati, New Zealand’s own ultra marathon legend also features in this film, and the scenes of her holding Samantha Gash’s hand as they struggle through one particularly grueling leg will reduce you to tears. Actually, there’s a lot in this film that will make you laugh, cry and cheer with joy. You don’t need to be a runner to appreciate this story about courage, determination and enlightenment. The stories are uplifting and the scenery is magnificent; this is a story that will linger with you for days.